Lady in Red
by rckyfrk
Summary: AU "Two-shot" at least for now- Bethyl Prompts - Red & Enchanted - It's finally the big day, Maggie and Glenn's wedding day. Beth is maid of honor, Daryl is the best man. Will eventually become a full story...stay tuned.
1. Red

Lady in Red – Bethyl AU One Shot

The day had finally arrived. After what felt like years of planning, Maggie and Glenn were at long last going to tie the knot. Beth couldn't be happier for her older sister.

The farmhouse was a flurry of commotion as the caterers prepped the food, musicians tuned their instruments, florists and decorators set and adorned the guest tables under the tent in the spacious backyard with beautiful displays of daisies, gladiolas and tulips.

Annette was fussing over Hershel's tuxedo, making sure everything was just so, straightening his tie and making sure his boutonnière was firmly attached to his lapel. Beth turned her attention to Maggie, setting her hair in delicate curls, double checking her make-up, fluffing her dress. When she was satisfied that her sister looked as perfect as could be, she double checked in the mirror at herself, straightening her dress and readjusting her necklace.

Sasha walked in the large bedroom carrying the bouquets for all the girls to carry. She was wearing a dress the same ruby shade of red as Beth's, but a different style to accentuate her long legs. Beth felt the tiniest pang of jealousy toward her. She felt so short, so underdeveloped…like a little kid playing dress up to try to fit in with the big girls.

She shook the unpleasant thoughts away, focusing on the bittersweet happiness of the day. This was a huge step for Maggie, and Beth was overjoyed for her, though a part of her didn't want her big sister to go. She thought of how happy Maggie was with Glenn, how wonderful they always were together. She wasn't losing Maggie at all, and she knew that, but she also knew their relationship would be forever changed.

Carol knocked on the door before entering the bedroom and announced, "It's time! Let's get this wedding underway!" A thrill of excitement filled the room as they all hugged one last time before heading downstairs.

Sasha went down first and met Rick at the bottom of the steps. He offered his arm to her and led her out to the side of the house where the ceremony was to take place. Beth followed shortly after, taking her time down the stairs, never taking her eyes off her feet for fear of falling. When she finally made it to the bottom, she raised her eyes to meet Daryl, who looked absolutely gorgeous in his tux. She noticed his hair, which was usually disheveled at best, was neatly combed back, allowing all of his handsome face to show. "Wow…" she whispered. She'd meant for the comment to stay safe in her head, and blushed furiously when she heard it actually voiced.

Daryl chuckled as he offered his arm to her. He had actually been thinking the same thing about her – wow. He was suddenly a little nervous being so near such a beautiful woman. She was so unlike any other women in his life. He had met Beth several times since Maggie and Glenn had first gotten together, and he had entertained the idea of asking her out, but couldn't stand the risk of rejection. She was so wholesome and pure, so sweet and innocent; what would she want with a rough and tough grease monkey like him. His heart sank a little as he reminded himself that she wouldn't want him, not in a million years. Still, it was nice to have her on his arm, even if only for the ceremony, for the sake of his friends.

As they walked outside, Beth stammered, "I…um…I just meant…you look really nice. I've never seen you so spiffed up."

Daryl smirked down at her. "Yeah, working in the garage doesn't really lend itself to this fancy attire." His voice took on a mockingly pretentious accent. "Besides, grease stains are a bitch to get out of the silk tie." This earned him a laugh from her perfect mouth, and his heart swelled as his smirk widened into a full on smile. He couldn't help it; the girl just seemed to draw the best out of him.

They finally made it outside, to the end of the aisle, catching up with Sasha and Rick. Annette and Hershel joined them; Maggie waited inside for her grand entrance. Carol gave the signal and the musicians started playing the processional music. Hershel and Annette walked down the aisle first, smiling and waving at their guests as they passed. Once they were in their seats, Sasha and Rick stepped down the aisle.

Beth squeezed Daryl's arm slightly, trying desperately not to react to the muscles she felt beneath her fingers. He looked down at her. "Ready?" he asked gently. She could only nod as he led them down to join the other attendants. As they reached the end of the aisle, Beth felt Daryl lightly squeeze her hand. She looked up at him; the look on his face was undiscernible. She could only smile at him as they split off to the opposite sides of the small altar.

The musicians modulated into Maggie's entrance music and the crowd rose to their feet and turned to watch her slowly walk down the aisle. She was nothing but smiles as her gaze focused on Glenn waiting at the altar for her.

The ceremony itself flew by in a blur. She vaguely remembered the minister asking for a moment of silence to remember those who had gone before them – for her brother Shawn, for Glenn's parents, for Maggie's mother. Before Beth knew it, the minister was pronouncing her sister and Glenn as husband and wife, allowing the groom to kiss the bride. Glenn laughed, "Finally," before planting a kiss on his wife.

The guests erupted in applause. Beth couldn't contain the laughter that had bubbled up inside her as she clapped. The musicians started playing Mendelssohn's Wedding March and Mr. and Mrs. Rhee all but ran down the aisle, hand in hand.

Beth moved to the center of the aisle, meeting Daryl once again, and slid her hand into the crook of his elbow. He guided her back toward the house, releasing her to hug her sister as he heartily shook hands with Glenn in congratulations. They were soon met by Sasha and Rick, then Beth's parents, until there was a flood of guests seeking to wish good luck and congratulations on the newlyweds before heading to the tent in the back yard.

The wedding party took their places at the head table. Once everyone was seated, the toasts began. Beth stood nervously, hoping her voice would carry. Even with the help of the microphone and sound system, her nerves were wreaking havoc on her voice, not to mention her memory. She would hate to embarrass her sister by "umm-ing" her way through her speech. She took a deep breath as she picked up the cordless microphone. She brought it to her mouth to speak, clearing her throat before beginning; she was interrupted by the whine of feedback screeching through the speakers.

Beth couldn't stop the blush from overtaking her neck and cheeks. Her hands and forehead broke out in a cold sweat and she could feel her knees start to weaken. "Um," she began, silently berating herself, "Hi, everyone. We're all just so glad you could come out here today to support my big sister as she married her best friend. Maggie has always been there for me. She always said she was the only one who got to pick on me, and watch out to anyone else who tried." The crowd chuckled at this, which helped relax Beth's nerves, but only slightly. She smiled as she continued, "And now, I've got a new big brother. Glenn, I could not have picked a more perfect match for my sister. I've seen you bring out the absolute best in each other. Now, before I start getting all mushy and all, I've got a little surprise for the newlyweds. I hope you like it." Beth turned to the DJ and gave him a nod. "Soul Sister" by Train started playing through the speakers. Beth took a deep breath and started singing.

Here's Glenn Rhee, we were all praying and finally  
Mags knew that when she met you, she would never let you out of sight.  
She's such a dream, and she's rarely ever demanding.  
The day that you collided, together you decided to spend your lives.  
Hey my sister got herself a mister, he's from Michigan, he's wonderful, and he is Maggie's superman!  
Hey my sister got herself a mister and they're gonna honeymoon tonight!

Hey big brother, I couldn't find another who could absolutely perfectly fit right in with our family,

Hey my sister got herself a mister so let's toast the bride and groom tonight!

The crowd applauded loudly as the song ended. Beth raised her champagne glass and said, "To Maggie and Glenn, may you find every happiness in each other." She took a sip of the bubbly liquid and walked behind her sister and brother-in-law to hand the mic to Daryl.

Daryl chuckled nervously into the microphone, "Man, oh man, how the hell am I supposed to follow that? Guess I'm just gonna have to try. I wanna start by sayin that Maggie, you look absolutely beautiful…and Glenn, you don't look so bad yourself. When Glenn asked me to be his best man I had lots of questions, naturally. I started with, 'So who backed out? Is there gonna be an open bar? Just how crazy do you want your bachelor party?'" He paused as the crowd laughed, and Daryl continued, "Don't worry, Glenn. What happens in Atlanta stays in Atlanta. Glenn told me he wanted me up here mainly to increase my chances with the bridesmaids," He looked right at Beth, who immediately started blushing, "so I guess I'm pretty lucky there. He also asked me to keep it under three minutes, so I guess y'all are lucky, too." He raised his glass and faced the couple, and the rest of the guests followed suit. "Glenn, Maggie, it's obvious you two were made for each other. I only hope I find someone who can make me even half as happy as you two are together." He toasted them, then looked straight at Beth before raising his glass once more and bringing it to his lips.

The reception continued, caterers serving the guests their salads, followed by the main course. Once everyone had finished eating, Maggie and Glenn cut the cake and fed each other, effectively stuffing frosting up each other's noses. Next came their first dance, followed by the couples' dance, where all the couples joined the newlyweds and were weeded out until only the couple who had been married the longest was left dancing.

As the party went on, Beth looked wistfully at the couples swaying back and forth, wishing and praying she would be able to find someone like Maggie had; someone to sweep her off her feet and make her deliriously happy. She tried not to let her face show how bummed she was, wanting to keep a happy smile for her sister.

She suddenly heard a low voice from behind her, "Hey." Beth whirled around and found herself looking up at Daryl. He had removed his jacket, now just wearing his tie, which he had loosened from his collar, and his vest, which emphasized his broad shoulders. "You know it's illegal for the maid of honor to sit alone when she should be dancin'." He held out his hand to her. Beth hesitantly placed her hand in his and followed him to the temporary dance floor set up in the middle of the lawn.

Daryl slid his hands to rest on the small of her back as she placed her hands on his shoulders. They started swaying to Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight." Daryl bent his head to murmur in her ear, "Nice job with your speech."

Beth smiled and blushed for what felt like the millionth time today. "Thanks," she mumbled. Lord, what this man did to her nerves. She looked up at him from beneath her eyelashes. "You did good too."

Daryl looked at her skeptically and scoffed, "Yeah…especially after you serenading everyone." He gave her a friendly smirk and chuckled as her blush deepened.

"I'm sorry about that. Didn't mean to one up you," Beth answered. Daryl noticed her blush deepen, and came very close to matching the color of her dress.

"Nah, s'alright," Daryl shrugged it off. "You sing real pretty. I, uh…I wouldn't mind hearing you sing again sometime." He paused, just momentarily, then plowed ahead before he lost his nerve. "There's a bar in town, has a karaoke night every week. You oughta go. Show off a little."

Beth felt her knees get weak. "R…really?" she asked incredulously.

"Yeah. Why not? I could, ya know, go along with ya. Be yer body guard," he grinned down at her and readjusted his hands on her, pulling her just a little closer.

"A body guard? What kind of bar is this?" she smiled up at him, moving her hands so they were clasped behind his neck.

Daryl laughed softly, "Not as bad as what you're thinking. Just don't want a pretty little thing like you getting scared all by herself."

"You think I'm pretty?" Beth asked demurely, grinning up at him.

Daryl caught himself blushing. "Well…yeah…ya know…" he trailed off. How could he tell her that he thought she was the most beautiful girl he'd laid eyes on?

Beth pulled gently, bringing Daryl's head down next to hers. "You know, if we're being honest, you're pretty darn handsome yourself," she said softly, her lips grazing his ear.

Daryl's first reaction was to pull back, but Beth kept her arms wound around his neck, holding him close. "It's the suit," he tried to explain.

This time Beth was the one to pull back, to look him directly in the eye. "No, it's not," she said decisively. Daryl cocked an eyebrow at her, questioning the validity of her statement with his look. Not finding any sarcasm or playfulness in her tone or in her look, he made up his mind.

He jutted his chin out, just slightly, almost testing the waters. His nose came close to brushing against hers. When she didn't pull back any further, he swallowed down his fear and gently kissed her soft lips. He kept the kiss quick and innocent, and pulled away, looking down at her, gauging her reaction. Beth blinked her eyes up at him, and gently smiled; Daryl grinned widely in return. She pulled him close and rested her cheek on his chest. Daryl held her tightly, lowering his head so his lips were near her ear. Beth could hear him singing, soft and low, "I said my darling, you were wonderful tonight."

**And there we go! Bethyl week prompt #2 - Red. I wasn't going to do a prompt today, but the muse kicked me square in the butt and gave me the ending...I just had to figure out the beginning. **

**Happy Bethyl Week!**


	2. Enchanted

**Lady in Red – Chapter 2**

**Bethyl week prompt – Enchanted**

**I know. I know. I said this story would be a one shot. Then Hearts1989 begged and begged me to continue it...and my muse was absolutely stuck for a bunch of these Bethyl Week prompts, mainly because I couldn't help but try and tie them in to this story. So, fine. We'll try it. Call it a two-shot?**

The newlyweds had made their rounds, greeting all of their guests, before the DJ announced that the happy couple was leaving the reception. They rushed off to their getaway car, covered with streamers and soda cans strung from the rear bumper. Beth stood near Daryl as they all waved their goodbyes, giggling uncontrollably. Daryl had told her that he and Rick had hidden a jingle bell in the spare tire compartment. She could just imagine the two of them, driving cross-country, frustrated in trying to find the source of the noise, and the thought only drove her to more giggles.

Daryl looked down at her and grinned. Her hair was starting to come loose from her up-do it had been set in for the wedding, the golden ringlets now framing her face. She met his gaze, and her smile took his breath away. He wanted to kiss her again, but knew he'd be pressing his luck. One quick peck while they were slow dancing was one thing, completely forgivable. For him to haul off and kiss her, surrounded by her friends and family? He scolded himself, knowing he wasn't that lucky, or that deserving; he forced his eyes away from her, back to the retreating taillights winding down the Greene's driveway.

Eventually the party came to a close. The guests drifted off, heading back home. Beth, Sasha, Daryl and Rick all went inside the house to change into their 'work clothes' as Hershel called them. "No sense in dirtying up your fancy party duds," he had said. Hershel and Annette supervised as the rest of the wedding party started taking down decorations, folding up chairs and tables, tearing everything down but the tent; the crew that had set it up would return the next day to collect it.

They were finishing stacking chairs and tables near the driveway for the rental company to pick up in the morning. The six of them looked at the yard; aside from the still-standing tent and the trampled grass, they could hardly tell that a wedding and reception had taken place here just hours before. Hershel and Annette thanked them for their help and turned to go inside. Rick, Sasha, Daryl and Beth all hugged their goodbyes.

Rick and Sasha walked to their cars while Daryl hung back with Beth on the porch. He leaned against the porch railing as she made herself cozy on the porch swing. He was lost in himself as he watched her swing gently to and fro, her customary smile gracing her face and her eyes focused on the starry night sky.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" her voice cut through his thoughts.

He shook his head, trying to focus on the present, "What's that?"

"Everything about today. How nice everyone looked, the ceremony was beautiful, the weather couldn't have been more wonderful. The reception...everything was just...perfect."

Daryl nodded in agreement. In a tiny corner of his mind, he thought of the kiss they had shared, and added it to the list of things that made today perfect. He knew she was talking about things that made the day perfect for her sister and new brother-in-law, but he wasn't that selfless. _And that, Dixon, is why you don't deserve her anyway,_ he thought to himself. _Ya no-good, selfish redneck._

He felt his shoulders tensing, reprimanding himself once again, but still not able to tear his eyes away from her. She was beautiful...perfection. His heart lifted and sank simultaneously as he thought of her, thought of him being with her, knowing it was all in vain.

He didn't know how many minutes had ticked by when she suddenly stood up, turned and grabbed the old blanket that had been draped across the back of the porch swing, and walked across the porch. "I don't think I could go to sleep if I tried. I'm gonna go for a walk. Come with me?" Her words were a combination of command and request. She held her hand out to him, as he had done to her earlier that night. He took her hand and followed her down the steps and down the driveway.

She led them down to one of the outer pastures, one that hadn't been used for a while. Beth handed the blanket to Daryl, holding on to two of the corners. "Help me spread it out." He took the other two corners and they opened the large blanket and lay on the ground. Daryl stood there, awkwardly, as Beth made herself comfortable by sitting on the cool fabric, pulling her knees up to her chest, and looked up at the night sky expanding above them. "I could just stare at them all night," she murmured. She looked up at him expectantly. "Well, aren't you gonna sit down?" she asked, patting the space on the quilt next to her.

Daryl wasn't sure what to do. His heart wanted nothing other than to get closer to her, but his mind was reminding him of all the ways this was so, so wrong. One more look at her, amidst the swirl of fireflies around her, her sweet face, lit up by the barely there moon, and he was pulled under her spell. He lowered himself slowly to the ground, still keeping his distance, but near enough to her that he could hear her sigh contentedly. He was torn again, not able to decide where to look: to the majestic night sky or the beautiful enchantress next to him. He figured the stars he could see anytime; he wasn't sure how many chances like this he'd be given to be so close to her.

"I love coming out here," she said, never looking away from the inky blackness dotted with shining beams of light. "It's so peaceful, coming out here, where I can just look up and I'm alone with my thoughts and can just...be, ya know?" She looked at him suddenly and hurried to add, a note of apology in her voice, "I mean, I'm happy you're with me." Her eyes widened in alarm, "I mean...not _with _me. I'm just glad you came with me. I...oh,geez, I sound like an idiot, don't I?" Her head sunk until her forehead rested on her knees.

Daryl chuckled. He was a little glad that he wasn't the only one who was nervous to be here, though he didn't want her to feel uncomfortable. "It's okay. I get it. I've got a spot like this, too, where I like just...being."

"You do?" she looked up at him, eagerly, glad to be spared of any part of her embarrassment.

"Yeah. There's a pond not far from my old man's house. I used to go there a lot to get away from...everything. Now I just go when I need to think. It's not as quiet as it is here. Lots more frogs," he added, grinning at her.

Beth smiled broadly at him. "It sounds really nice."

Daryl swallowed hard. He didn't want to mess this up, but he was so far under her spell, he couldn't resist. "Wanna go some time? 'S'only fair...you showed me your spot, I oughta show you mi...OH hell!" he cut himself off, blushing furiously and staring at his shoes. "I'm so sorry, Beth, I didn't mean..."

She placed a calming hand on his shoulder, "Daryl. It's okay. I know what you meant." He chanced a peek at her and could see she was blushing through her reassuring smile, even in the pale moonlight. "You sure I wouldn't be intruding or anything?"

He waited for his heart rate to slow down before answering. "No. You wouldn't be intruding. I wouldn't mind havin' someone to share it with," he muttered before staring at his shoes again. Her hand left his shoulder, the cool night air instantly surrounding where her warmth had seeped through his skin. He heard her shift slightly on the blanket then felt her arm brush against his. He fought his natural reaction to tense up, instead enjoying the feel of her against him. Beth lowered her head to rest gently on his shoulder; he cautiously brought his arm back to cross behind her, feeling the heat from her tiny body.

She hummed softly, "This is nice." He looked down toward her at the same time she turned her head slightly to face him. Her lips were dangerously close – so close he could feel her breath against his own lips. He was mesmerized by her, feeling the full power of her enchantment. Not able to fight it anymore, he lowered his head and kissed her, longer than he had the last time, though not by much. He pulled back and sought her eyes, her reaction. He braced himself for her to pull away from him, to reject him, to laugh at him.

Instead she surprised him. After the briefest of moments, she reached up and sought his lips again, lingering against him. He felt her lips move against his, urging him on, and he happily complied, deepening the kiss. He brought his hand to cradle her along her jawline and allowed himself to taste at her soft pink lower lip. Her mouth opened slightly and the tips of their tongues met fleetingly before they both pulled away. He pressed one last, soft kiss to her lips before pulling back completely and gazed down at her.

Daryl let his breathing return to normal before attempting to speak again. "We oughta get you inside. It's pretty late."

Beth pouted slightly, "Just a little longer? I don't want to leave y...um...leave yet." Daryl raised an eyebrow at her stutter and grinned before nodding at her, bringing his arm to wrap closer around her, his hand resting on her hip. His thumb traced tiny circles just above her waist as she snuggled closer to him. "You know, Daryl, you can be pretty charming when you wanna be," Beth whispered. As their eyes met again, Daryl knew he was completely under her spell, and didn't want to do a damn thing to fight it.


	3. Waiting

**Lady in Red – Chapter 3**

**At long last, I got a chance to work on this bad boy. It would have been up weeks ago...I had chapters three through fourteen outlined and had notes on what I wanted to happen...I even had a couple pages of chapter 3 typed up. Then I went to save it on my flash drive as a back up, but apparently I got my windows mixed up and saved everything the wrong way and ended up saving the old over the new instead of the other way around.**

**So here it is. I hope it was worth the wait. I've got the next several chapters outlined and noted out, so it shouldn't take nearly as long to get back into the swing of things. I've also got a couple unofficial prompts/requests I'd like to get out, plus my Summer of Learning (which started as a prompt request and has since taken on a life of its own...I really need to stop calling things one-shots) which features a certain yummy Mr. Flanery...just sayin'. Anyway, here we go. Enjoy. Don't forget to leave a review!**

Beth and Daryl had stayed out on the blanket for what felt like minutes but could have easily been hours – Beth had completely lost track of any sense of time. As time ticked by, they had laid back on the quilt, gazing straight up into the starry sky. Neither spoke much, both just enjoying the quiet company of each other.

Beth readjusted her arm, accidentally bumping Daryl's hand with her own. She recoiled at first, almost apologizing for the contact, but then, tentatively, brushed the back of her fingers against his, just to test his reaction. Instead of him pulling away like she'd expected him to, his fingers interlaced with Beth's. A thrill shot up her arm as a small smile bloomed on her face. Tempting fate, Beth slipped her finger tips over the back of his hand, over his thumb, and threaded her fingers through his, holding his hand palm to palm. Her smile stretched across her face when he tightened his fingers around hers.

Beth was about to ask him something, but the thought flew out of her mind when something moved out of the corner of her eye. They both pointed upwards as a shooting star streaked across the sky. She turned to face Daryl, finding that he was already looking at her. "Make a wish," she whispered.

"Already done," Daryl replied, his voice low and husky. "You?"

Beth thought for a moment before closing her eyes and scrunching up her face. She sent up a wish to the heavens, making it almost a prayer. She wasn't bold enough to ask or wish for something to happen between her and Daryl. Instead, she just wanted some kind of a sign that this, whatever it was, was more than just for tonight. She blinked her eyes open to find him still watching her. "Me too," she spoke softly.

Another moment passed. "We really should head back to the house," Daryl murmured, a hint of reluctance in his voice. "We stay out here much longer, your old man's likely to come looking for ya."

"Yeah, you're probably right," she sighed heavily.

Daryl sat up, still holding her hand. He lightly squeezed it before releasing his grip, bracing himself to stand up. He straightened his shirt then offered his hands to help Beth up. She grinned and slid her hands into his, noting their warmth despite the cool night air. He pulled her to her feet; she was impressed at his strength, showing no effort in lifting her off the ground.

Beth picked up the blanket and turned to Daryl. "Here, help me fold." Daryl took the two corners she offered him and followed her lead in folding it. She felt her pulse quicken as she stepped toward him to fold the blanket in half, their fingers closing over each other. She blushed slightly at the contact and smiled nervously up at him. "Thanks," she whispered. He merely nodded in acknowledgement and took the quilt from her, silently volunteering to carry it for her.

Side by side, they walked the distance back to the front porch. Once they approached the steps, they turned to face each other. Beth took the blanket from Daryl, hugging it to her chest. "Thanks for staying out with me, Daryl. It was really nice."

Daryl grinned and ducked his head almost bashfully, kicking his foot at an imaginary clump of dirt.

Beth took advantage of his slight awkwardness and pecked him on the cheek. His eyes snapped up to meet hers, wide with surprise. He smirked at her and took a step toward her. He reached up to tuck a wayward curl behind her ear before bending his head low to capture her lips in a kiss.

Daryl gently moved his lips against hers, drawing a soft moan from her. He pulled away before the kiss developed into anything deeper, and Beth almost groaned in disappointment. She leaned forward, trying to maintain contact with him. He chuckled softly, not even a hint of mockery or malice, but pure contentment. He kissed her once more, softly, before murmuring against her lips, "I'll call you?" It was a question, not a statement.

Beth nodded, trying not to appear too eager. Was this the sign she had wished for? She tried not to get her hopes up too high. She wasn't so naïve to believe in love at first sight. Technically this wasn't first sight, but it was pretty close. Her heart fluttered when Daryl kissed her once more on the cheek then slowly backed away from her for a couple steps before turning away and walking toward his motorcycle. She watched as he swung his leg over the seat and waved at him when he looked back at her. He returned the simple gesture, started the bike's engine, and drove off.

Close to a week had gone by, and Beth still hadn't heard from Daryl. She tried not to over-think it, tried not to worry. After all, she was just some college girl; he was at least ten years old than she was. Who was she kidding, getting her hopes up like that? So what if he'd kissed her? He probably kissed a lot of girls...women. He'd want someone more mature, someone he could relate to.

The worst part about it all was that Maggie was still off on her honeymoon. Beth didn't dare interrupt any of their plans with a phone call or a text just to complain about a guy. Even if the guy in question was Daryl Dixon. Even if they had kissed more than a couple times that night. Even if he did have the most amazingly blue eyes she had ever seen. Even if her heart fluttered at just the thought of him.

She hung her head. What was she going to do? Here she was, pining away over a guy she'd really only met a handful of times. Oh, but what a time they had that night... "No, stop it Beth!" she scolded herself. "Just let it go." Her heart sank as she reluctantly admitted to herself that in all likelihood, she'd heard the last of Daryl Dixon.

She needed to find something to do to get her mind off him. She made her way to the stables and saddled Nelly, her favorite horse. Beth steered Nelly down her favorite path, one that skirted the edge of the stream that ran through the woods surrounding the Greene family farm. The gentle ride helped calm her nerves, and she found herself simply enjoying the quite of the forest around her. She circled back to the barn, brushed Nelly down, even treated her to some carrots from their garden. She made her way up the porch steps, and caught sight of the blanket lying on the porch swing where she had left it all those nights ago, and the few memories she had of him came back with a vengeance. All the aggravation she had just left in the woods poured back onto her shoulders. She stormed up the stairs and went right into her bathroom to take a shower.

Feeling refreshed after her long ride in the hot Georgia heat, her mood improved dramatically. She chose a soft cotton top and jean shorts, planning on relaxing at home the rest of the day. She would be starting her last year of college in about a month's time and she had lots to do to prepare, but she also had lots of free time to enjoy before then. Still, it never hurt to plan ahead. She sat at the desk in her room, writing out all the things she needed to get done before school started at the end of August. She started to get excited about student teaching, finally being able to get her feet wet in what she really wanted to do.

She jumped when she heard her father's voice from behind her, "Bethy?" Beth turned to face him; he was standing in the doorway, holding the phone out to her. "Someone for you."

Beth gave her father a confused look as she got up from her chair and crossed the room. Pressing the receiver to her ear, she started, "Hello?"

"Hey," a gruff voice on the other end replied.

Beth's heart did a backflip in her chest before she remembered she wasn't supposed to be excited about him anymore. "Hi." She wasn't sure what else to say to Daryl, so she decided to let him take the lead.

After a pause he finally spoke, "How, ya doin?"

He sounded nervous, but she wasn't letting him off easy. Not yet. "I'm fine. Yourself?" A niggling feeling in the back of her mind warned her not to get too snarky. He did call, after all, and he never said he'd call her right away. Maybe she should lighten up a little.

"I'm good." Another pause. "Look, I'm, uh...I'm sorry for not calling sooner."

"Yeah...you should be," she said with a smile, hoping he'd pick up on her half-hearted sarcasm. "Not that I was waiting around for you to call or anything." Except that she had been. Not that he needed to know that little tidbit of information.

"Shit, I'm sorry, Beth. I didn't have your phone number. Not like I could call Glenn and ask. I ain't about to disrupt the guy's honeymoon. Do you know how many H Greens there are in the Atlanta phone book. Then I realized you have an extra E on your last name."

Her heart was filled with gratitude and pity for the man on the other end. "Oh my god, Daryl. You didn't..." she trailed off with a laugh. "And after all that, you had to talk to my dad first? You poor guy."

"Yeah. Plus I been real busy at work and going to meetings and stuff. I swear I wanted to call sooner. I didn't mean to leave ya hangin'." He truly sounded remorseful, and her heart went out to him.

"You're forgiven, Daryl. I'll let you make it up to me by taking me out to dinner," she said with a grin. When had she gotten so forward?

She loved hearing his low chuckle in her ear. "You got it," he agreed. "Hey, I really hate to cut this short, but I kinda need to get going. I'll give you a call to figure out dinner. Shouldn't take so long to get a hold of you again."

"I'll make it easier on you," she offered. She was truly touched at the thought of him calling number after number trying to find her. "What's your cell number?" She typed the number into her cell phone as he rattled it off and sent a quick text message. "Now you've got my cell number, too. Should make things go a little smoother, and you don't have to go through daddy's inquisition. I know how he can get."

"I appreciate that," he said, and she really believed him. "I'll talk to you soon, I promise."

"Alright. G'night, Daryl," Beth spoke softly.

"G'night, Beth." She could hear his tiny smile through the phone. "Sleep well," he added before she heard a click, marking the end of the call.

Beth flopped backwards on her bed, as she'd seen done in a hundred romantic comedies where the girl is smitten with the guy and he's just called her. She even clutched the phone to her chest and giggled at the ceiling, completely giddy over him making good on his promise. And now he'd promised to call again to set up a dinner date.

Her cell phone vibrated in her hand. She checked the screen and saw a message waiting for her from Daryl. **_Thanks for the number. Have a good night._**

She excitedly typed back, **_You're welcome. Good night._**

She sighed heavily and grinned to herself. She went over their too-brief conversation in her mind. She sat up at a sudden realization. '_Wait a minute_,' she thought to herself. '_He said he was busy with work and with meetings...Daryl's a mechanic. What kind of meetings are keeping him this busy?_' The thought plagued her mind for the majority of the night before she decided Daryl didn't seem like the kind of guy to make up excuses, that he was a straight shooter. Still, she couldn't help but wonder if he was hiding something.

'_Oh, now seriously, Beth. It's not like you're together or anything. He doesn't have to tell you everything. He doesn't really have to tell you anything. Just let it go,'_ that stubborn voice in the back of her head scolded her.

She brought the home phone back downstairs and set it back on the charger before heading back to her room and getting ready for bed. She fell asleep, her mind flitting back and forth between trying to solve her Daryl puzzle and wondering where he was going to take her for dinner.


	4. Stealing

**Lady in Red – Chapter 4**

It had been two weeks since Glenn and Maggie's wedding when they finally returned to Georgia after their cross country trip. Sasha and Rick, along with Rick's wife Lori and their kids Carl and Judith, had come over for the welcome home dinner the next Sunday at the Greene Family farm. Maggie set up her laptop to show all the pictures they had taken from their travels. As she and Glenn began to share funny stories, they mentioned the jingle bell sound and it was obvious how stymied they both were that they couldn't determine its source. The thought reminded Beth of Daryl, and made her wonder why he was absent from the dinner party. Surely he had been invited – why wasn't he here?

She shot him a quick text, hoping for an equally quick reply, and was disappointed but not surprised when her message went unanswered. Their text conversations tended to be sporadic at best, which was incredibly frustrating. She seemed to have better luck getting a hold of him in the evening, which made sense since he worked with his hands so much during the day. Still, every once in a while, she'd get radio silence from him, even in the evening, and couldn't help but wonder what the deal was.

Beth pocketed her cell phone and redirected her attention to the hi-tech slide show. The pictures of the couple showed two people who were incredibly in love. Beth couldn't have been happier for the pair of them.

Once they had seen all the pictures, everyone gathered around the table for dinner. Beth and Annette had spent the day preparing a feast for the dinner party. Family and friends chowed down on the delicious food, their conversation light and happy. Despite the general happy feeling around her, Beth's attention continued to drift to her silent and still cell phone in her pocket. She tried hard to push the unhappy thoughts away, refusing to be a clingy girlfriend...or girlfriend type of person...whatever she was to Daryl. The unknown details of their relationship threatened to bring down her mood again, so she fought to keep them at bay, focusing on the happy couple sitting across the table from her.

After dinner, Glenn and Maggie finally had a chance to open their gifts from their wedding. Beth took up her maid of honor duty as official scribe, writing down who gave what so the newlyweds could write out their thank you notes once they were settled in their home.

Later that night, as Beth was getting ready for bed, she checked her phone one last time before plugging it into the charger. There was a message waiting for her. She dialed into her voicemail and heard the voice that now gave her a warm feeling in the pit of her stomach.

_"Hey, Beth. Sorry I missed you…and I, uh, I do miss ya. I, uh…ahem…I got real busy at work today and a bunch of stuff came up and I just couldn't get out of it. Anyway, uh, if you wanna gimme a call sometime tomorrow and we can figure something out for dinner sometime…maybe this weekend…or whatever. Uh…I guess I'll catch ya later. G'night, Beth."_

Her heart melted into a goopy mess of emotion. He missed her? He sounded so nervous! She smiled at the thought of someone like her making someone like Daryl nervous. He seemed so confident any other time. She giggled, her face bright with blush, then brought her cellphone up and held it over her heart and flopped onto her pillow, sighing heavily. _Girl, you have got it bad._ Was that really such a bad thing? She decided that, no, it wasn't. She could feel herself crushing hard on Daryl. She looked at her phone again, and noting the time, figured it would still be alright to shoot him a text. **_Got your message. _****J****_ I'll try calling tomorrow. _**She thought a minute and sent a second text, **_I miss you, too._**

She tossed her phone onto her pillow and got dressed into her pajamas. She just started brushing out her hair when she heard her phone vibrate and jumped to grab for it. **_Look forward to it. _****J****_ Good night._**

Beth grinned and replied, **_Good night, Daryl. _**She clicked send, sighed again, and laid her head down, fighting her giddiness, knowing she needed to get at least some sleep tonight.

Beth was usually a morning person, probably due to her growing up on the farm. There was always plenty to do during the day to keep the farm running in tip top shape. Lately, however, she noticed she'd been growing more and more impatient for her evenings to come around.

She woke up with the sun, as she often did. Her first thought went to Daryl. She wondered if he was even awake yet. _Only one way to find out,_ she thought. Beth typed out a quick text. **_Good morning. Hope I didn't wake you._**

When she didn't get an immediate response, she figured he was probably still sleeping. She knew the garage he worked at didn't open until nine o'clock. Beth supposed if she didn't have to be up for another two hours, she'd take advantage of it, too. With a heavy sigh, she set her phone down and started getting ready for the day. She was scheduled to work this afternoon until close at the little ice cream shop in town, so she'd have to get all her chores done early if she wanted to get a ride on Nelly in and get to work on time. Once she was dressed, she began brushing out her hair. Her fingers set to work on setting her customary braid when her phone buzzed with a text.

**_Well worth it._**

She blushed, realizing it was silly since no one was around. **_You are so sweet. Did you sleep well?_**

**_I guess. You?_**

**_I slept alright. Had a hard time getting to sleep._**

**_Everything alright?_**

Beth thought for a moment. She could answer him straight or try to flirt. _Go big or go home, right? __**I'm alright. Just kept thinking about you. **_She realized the answer was the truth and not a little flirty.

Silence.

_Crap. Double crap! Way to go, you scared him off!_ Beth mentally slapped herself in the head. So much for flirting. _Come on! Please answer!_

Nothing.

Beth fought back the tears threatening to fall, but failed miserably. Hot tears ran down her cheeks, tears cried out of embarrassment and self-loathing and stupidity and...

She jumped a mile as her phone vibrated in her hand. Beth checked the screen and saw it wasn't a text, he was calling her. _Oh my god!_ She quickly wiped the tears off her face and sniffed back any more that were waiting to fall. She took a deep, calming breath and answered, trying to keep her voice steady as she answered, "Hello?"

"Hi." His voice sounded wonderful in her ear.

She took another breath and cleared her throat, "Um, what's up?"

Beth could hear his smile through the phone, "So you're thinking about me, huh?"

_Crap_. She was sure he'd be able to hear her blush. "Maybe..." _Yeah, because being coy and flirty worked so well before. Hey, he called, didn't he?"_

He chuckled, and a shiver ran down her spine, "Well, I figured since ya woke me up, might as well make the best of it."

Beth relaxed a little, glad he wasn't going to press her for details as to why she was thinking about him. "I didn't mean to wake you up. I'm really sorry."

"Nah, needed to get up anyway. Start getting back into early morning schedules and all," he half-way explained. Beth was going to ask what he meant by early morning schedule, but he continued, "So, while we're both not busy, when can I take you out for dinner?"

"Oh...um," she stammered. Her pulse was pounding all the way in her ears. "When were you thinking?"

"What about tonight?" he suggested.

She groaned internally. Of all days... "I'm really sorry, I have to work til close tonight. What about this weekend?"

"Mm...weekends are tricky," he replied. "Next week sometime?"

Beth sighed into the phone, "We can try. I start student teaching next week, gonna need to get to bed pretty early, ya know?"

Daryl laughed sardonically, "Well, damn, girl. You're not making this easy on me."

"I'm sorry! I really..."

"Beth..." he interrupted. She loved hearing that voice say her name. "I was joking. Maybe I'll just have to kidnap you and take you out."

Beth giggled nervously, "I'm beginning to think that's about the only way we'll get to see each other."

"Don't worry, sweetheart," his voice lowered, "we'll figure it out."

Beth hummed into the receiver, not sure what to say next. "So..."

"Yes?"

She smiled, "So do you think about me?"

Daryl laughed right out loud, "Oh sure, now you don't hold anything back."

"Well?"

He grew quiet a moment before answering, "Yeah...more than I probably should."

_Oh just melt my freakin' heart, why don't you? _"Really?"

"I called ya, didn't I? Wasn't just cause ya woke me up."

Beth hugged herself and sighed, then realized she'd let it out right into the phone. She mentally slapped herself again. "You're really sweet, you know that?"

"I do what I can," he teased.

"I think about you a lot, too, you know. It sucks that our schedules keep working against us," she complained, but not blaming him in the least.

Daryl let out a heavy sigh, "I know, sweetheart. We'll get there."

"Yeah, I know," she sullenly agreed. She looked up at her alarm clock. "Hey, Daryl, I really hate to do this, but I've got a bunch of stuff I have to get done before I go in to work tonight."

"Alright, darlin'," he said, "I'll keep working on finding a time for dinner. You can't get rid o' me that easy."

"I wouldn't want to," she said before she could stop herself. She hung her head, embarrassed again when she heard him chuckle. "Oh, shut up," she grinned.

"Yes, ma'am," he obeyed. "I'll catch ya later, alright?"

"Alright," she answered. "Bye, Daryl. Have a good day."

"You, too. Bye, sweetheart."

She heard the click, ending the phone call, and just sat on her bed, staring at her phone for a while, positively glowing from the inside, her broad smile never leaving her face. Yeah...she definitely had it bad.

The chores went quickly enough, and her ride with Nelly helped calm her nerves before heading inside to get ready for work. She showered hastily and donned her uniform for work. It was cute, in an old time-y kind of way: a cotton candy pink dress with fat, red buttons running down the front, with a white collar and wide cuffs on her sleeves. She grabbed her apron off the back of her bedroom door, slipped into her sneakers, and bounded down the stairs and out to her car.

Work had been pretty uneventful, but it was a Monday, and relatively cool for summer in Georgia. _There must be a cold front coming in_, she thought as she watched the street lights come on outside the shop. Business was pretty slow; the manager had already sent the other server home for the night, and Beth was doing fine by herself. Her manager got a call from home saying one of her kids wasn't feeling well. Beth volunteered to close up by herself. The manager thanked her profusely, offering her a day off over the weekend for doing this favor for her, and hurried out the door.

Beth doubted she'd actually take her up on the offer, but it was certainly nice to hear. She looked at the stylized clock on the wall and saw there were still a couple hours until it was closing time. Beth sighed and started looking for something to do to kill the time, deciding to start cleaning a little early, restocking as she went.

Both bathrooms had been cleaned thoroughly, all napkin holders refilled; Beth was really on a roll getting everything taken care of when a group of teenagers came in. While she didn't mind serving them, she thought, _It never fails..._. Once the group had left, Beth retouched where she had already cleaned. The clock showed only half an hour to go. Feeling it was safe to do so, she started wiping down the counters a final time, cleaning off the scoopers, doing the final count in the register.

_Fifteen minutes_. She turned her back to the front door, checking the counter behind her for what seemed like the millionth time that night.

_DING!_ The front door swung open. Beth's shoulders sagged slightly. _So close,_ she thought. She plastered her customer service smile to her face and tried to make it look sincere before turning to turn around.

"Any chance I could get a double dip?"

Beth spun around; she'd know that voice anywhere. Standing on the other side of the counter was Daryl. She beamed brightly at him, "Hey, you!"

He cocked an eyebrow at her, "Were you expecting someone else?"

She giggled, "I thought you were 'that guy'."

"Beg pardon?" he said, looking thoroughly confused.

"You know...when you're just about to close, and then 'that guy' comes in and you just know you aren't getting off work when you're supposed to," Beth explained, her smile never leaving her face.

Daryl nodded, "Ah...yeah, we have a different name for people like that. Probably not polite to say in a place like this." Daryl took in the bright, cheery ambience of the ice cream parlor. "Nice get up, by the way."

Beth blushed, "Shut up. It's not like I picked it."

"No, it's cute...it suits ya," he playfully argued, forcing her blush to deepen.

"So...can I get you anything?" she offered, not sure what else to say.

"Nah. Just thought I'd come in here and wait."

Beth shook her head, "For what?"

Daryl looked up at the clock, which had just reached nine o'clock. He turned back to her with a grin, "Closing time." Beth giggled again, still a little confused. "I just figured with our schedules bein' so crazy like they are, I'd just come and kidnap ya and take ya out. I did warn ya," he teased.

Beth reached behind her and untied her apron, setting it on the counter. "I just need to finish up with the register and lock up. Five minutes, tops."

"I'll time ya," he winked at her and took a seat at one of the tables.

True to her word, Beth had finished closing up in less than five minutes and came back out to the front to join Daryl. He stood up as she came closer, meeting her in the middle of the floor. "I'm impressed." He offered her his arm, and she slid her hand into the crook of his elbow.

"Where are we going?" Beth asked.

"You'll see," Daryl smirked at her. He walked her to the door and waited for her to turn out lights and lock up before heading out to the sidewalk and walking down the street. They hadn't gone far when he turned toward a little diner at the end of the block. He escorted her inside, nodded at the waitress, and guided Beth to a booth in the corner. "I know, it ain't exactly the nicest place, but the food's good," he offered.

Beth grinned, "Yeah, I know. I had a sandwich from here for dinner tonight." Daryl's face fell, and Beth's heart went with it. She reached across the table and took his hand. "Hey...you can always buy me dessert," she said with a smile. He raised his eyebrows and she squeezed his hand.

The waitress came over and greeted them both by name. Apparently they both came here pretty frequently. Beth ordered a piece of peach pie and a vanilla coke, while Daryl ordered a plate of chili cheese fries and a regular coke. When the waitress walked back to place the order, Daryl leaned forward. "What, no ice cream with your pie?" he teased.

"Very funny. One good thing about this job is that I very rarely want ice cream...ever!" she declared.

"I'll remember that," Daryl nodded.

The waitress came back quickly with their order. She had just turned her back when Beth reached across the table to steal a fry. "Damn, woman! I didn't even get a chance and you're already stealin' off my plate!"

Beth grinned as she bit into the fry, "Ya gotta be quick. Besides, they're best when the cheese is still melty."

"Yeah, yeah," Daryl acquiesced, rolling his eyes.

Beth took a sip of her vanilla coke. "You can steal a bite of mine if it makes you feel better."

"It ain't stealin' if ya give me permission," he said dryly. Now it was Beth's turn to roll her eyes.

They joked and teased and talked as they ate, growing more and more comfortable with each other as the conversation progressed. Daryl kept asking Beth questions, about her family, her school, why she wanted to be a teacher. She noticed he rarely offered anything about himself, but knew he was a pretty private guy, so didn't press for anything too invasive.

When they'd finished and Daryl had paid the bill (despite Beth's protests to at least split the check), they both slid out of the booth and stretched their legs. Beth bent to grab her apron off the bench; when she stood back up, Daryl pressed a quick kiss against her lips, completely catching her off guard.

"See...that's how ya steal somethin'," he murmured. Beth blinked rapidly as the blush crept from her neck over her cheeks and up to the tips of her ears. Daryl offered his arm to her again and led her back out to the sidewalk, now littered with scattered raindrops.

As they walked back toward the ice cream shop and to their cars, the rain picked up and they were caught in a sudden downpour. Daryl released her hand from his arm and caught it in his own hand, running with her down the street. They stood under the awning of the ice cream shop, both laughing and out of breath.

Beth looked up at him, watching drops of water fall from his long, unruly hair. She watched his eyes dance back and forth between hers and her lips. Her heart, already racing from their dash through the rain, made no effort to slow its rhythm.

Daryl took a purposeful step toward her and ran his fingertips along her forehead and down her cheeks, brushing her damp hair away from her face before cupping her face in his hands and bringing his mouth to hers. They met each other perfectly, their tongues hesitantly tasting each other's. Her arms wound around his neck as one of his hands slid down her back to rest on her hips, pulling her even closer, the other cradling her neck. Their mouths moved together, taking their time tasting and teasing, stretching the kiss from simple to more passionate.

A bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, followed immediately by a loud clap of thunder, making both of them jump back. They laughed a little before stepping out of their embrace, Daryl's hand rubbing along the back of his neck as his other hand reached into his pocket for his keys. He looked a little lost as to what to do or say next. Beth threw him a lifeline, "This was nice tonight. I had a really nice time."

"Yeah?" Daryl seemed surprised. "Yeah, me too."

Beth grinned, "You still aren't off the hook for dinner, though, you know."

Daryl narrowed his eyes at her, "Oh, don't you worry. I always make good on my promises."

"I trust you," Beth whispered. She looked at the rain falling in the street; it seemed to be lessening a little. "Well, I oughta head home. Don't want mom and dad to think I got washed off the road."

Daryl nodded, "Yeah, me too. Let me know when you get home so I...um...ya know" he trailed off, stopping himself. Beth wondered what he was going to say.

"I will," she promised. She made to leave, but turned last minute, reached up on her tip toes and kissed him again. "You're not the only thief, you know," she kidded him.

His hand cupped the back of her head and brought her to meet him again for another kiss, this one more urgent than the last. He pulled away and smirked at her, "Just giving you food for thought for tonight."

She smiled widely and smacked him playfully, then raised an eyebrow at him. "Good night, Daryl," she said as she made to leave.

He met her smile with his own. "Good night, Beth."

They both hurried to their cars, parked close enough to the front door of the shop. Beth hopped into her car and drove down the street. When she made it back home, she texted Daryl from the driveway and rushed inside. By the time she made it up to her room and had gotten out of her wet uniform and into her pajamas, he had replied. Twice.

**_Glad you're home safe. _**

**_Thinking about me yet?_**

Beth smiled and shook her head. **_Always. You?_**

Her phone buzzed a minute later. **_Never stopped. Good night._**

**I'm so sorry this took so long to get going. These two just did not want to talk to me, but man, once they did...I couldn't get them to stop! Thanks to Remi Savant, Dixongurl and Basswipe on tumblr for kicking my butt into gear to get this chapter done. Please leave a review – it gives me incentive to keep this going!**


	5. Hunting

**Lady in Red - Chapter 5**

Beth checked her long neglected e-mail. Her mentor had said that the last week before the grade schools were back in session, she would receive a notice in her e-mail regarding what school she'd be assigned to for her student teaching. Because she attended a huge school like Georgia State, she knew it was kind of a crap shoot as to where she'd be assigned.

She weeded through the junk mail that had made it through the spam filter on her e-mail account, wondering where it all came from; she was hardly ever on-line. Shaking her head, she found and clicked on an e-mail from the Education department at Georgia State. Her heart sank a little. Apparently because she was a music education major, she was actually assigned to three schools: an elementary school for the first half of the semester and one of the middle schools and high schools for the second half. _Ah, the joys of being certified in Primary and Secondary._

Beth shrugged it off and started clicking on the links to see where the schools were located. Luckily they were all pretty close to each other, all in one corner of Atlanta. The downside was it'd be close to an hour drive from her parent's house. She hadn't reserved a dorm room at GSU just in case something like this happened. Beth was suddenly very glad she'd planned for this and had been working all the hours she could to save up as much money as she could to be able to put a deposit on an apartment.

Now she just had to _find_ an apartment. She opened another tab on her browser and started searching for apartments in her price range that would get her closer to the schools where she'd be teaching. She came up with a list of places that met her criteria and started making plans to drive around to see them. She called the different property managers and set appointments to see the inside of all of them.

Beth really wished she had someone to go with her to see all these places. She hated to ask her mother and father, though they were obviously her first choice. She felt guilty asking them to come with her when there was so much to be done around the farm, especially since she would soon be too busy with school to be able to help them much. Next she thought of Maggie and Glenn. Beth called her sister to see what her schedule was like for the next couple days.

"Sorry sweetie," Maggie replied, "but with taking the two weeks off for the honeymoon, I am swamped trying to play catch up. Can you go apartment hunting this weekend when both me and Glenn are off?"

Beth's shoulders slumped. "No, that's okay, Mags. I'd really like to use the weekend to move in, not to just start looking for something. Don't worry about it. I'm a big girl, I can do this myself."

"Alright. Wish I could help. Let me know if you change your mind."

Beth grinned, "Oh, don't you worry. You can make it up to me by helping me move."

Maggie laughed, "Deal. Good luck, kiddo."

Beth said her goodbye and ended the call. She sighed heavily as she tossed her phone on the bed and flopped back on her pillow. She really didn't want to do all this by herself, but was dreading asking her parents even more so. How was she supposed to show how independent she was if she needed mommy and daddy to hold her hand? She steeled her resolve and pushed herself off the bed to return to the laptop on her desk. "I can do this," she reminded herself as she started plotting everything out on Mapquest. She'd been to Atlanta plenty of times, but only to go shopping or to visit a restaurant to celebrate a special occasion. She didn't know much about the residential areas of Atlanta at all.

That was another thing that worried her. She wanted to find a safe neighborhood, and knew there were certain corners of Atlanta that were not exactly the safest place to be. She figured she could handle herself well enough, but would rather avoid trouble than put herself in the middle of it.

She returned to her search for apartments, making sure she hadn't missed anything. Beth jumped when her phone went off, chiming happily, indicating she had gotten a new text message. She smiled, already pretty sure who had sent the message, and became downright giddy when she saw that her guess was right.

**_Hey sweetheart. How's your day?_**

**_Meh. Alright._**

**_Everything okay?_**

**_Yeah. Just stuff on my mind._**

And silence. Again. _Will I ever have an actual conversation with him on the phone?_ she wondered. Beth tossed the phone back onto her bed and turned back to her research, only to have it go off again, this time filling her bedroom with the sounds of her ringtone. She answered, already smiling, "Hello?"

"Hey. You okay?" The concern in his voice warmed her heart.

"I'm fine. Aren't you at work?"

"Yeah, but things are a little slow today. Thought talking would go faster and easier than texting."

"Good call."

"Yeah. So…what's going on?"

"I got my student teaching assignment today," she explained.

"That bad, huh?"

Beth giggled, "No. The schools are fine, but I'm gonna need to find an apartment closer to the schools. Ain't no way I'm driving almost an hour one way every day if I can avoid it."

"Wow…watch it girl. You're starting to talk like me," he teased. "So what's the problem? Scared of moving out?"

"No, not scared, just…I don't want to end up living in a hole. I don't know what to look for or what to ask. Maggie's busy and I hate asking mom and dad."

Another pause. Beth started to think one of them had suddenly lost signal. "I…uh…I could go with ya if ya want."

"Oh my gosh, would you?" Beth blurted out, then thought a moment. "I couldn't ask you to, though. It's really sweet of you to offer, but I don't want you to have to take off work just for me."

"I wouldn't." He replied. Beth scoffed, but he continued, "We're having our parking lot resurfaced tomorrow. I get a free day off." He cleared his throat and added, his voice softer now with a hint of nervousness, "You'd be worth calling off for, anyway."

Beth's breath caught in her throat. "Oh… Daryl, that's so sweet." She was sure he could hear her blushing through the phone.

He cleared his throat again, "Yeah, yeah. Just don't let that get around."

She smiled, "My lips are sealed."

"Tomorrow morning then? I could come pick you up, we grab some coffee and head out?"

"Sounds great. Thank you so much, Daryl. I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"Nah. Don't worry about it. Hey, I gotta get back, someone just pulled up."

"Alright. Have a good rest of your day."

"You, too. See ya."

Beth smiled and sighed dreamily as she set her phone down. She suddenly felt…lighter…bubbly even. She couldn't contain the broad smile that stretched across her face. That is until she glanced at the clock and she realized it was time to get ready for work. It looked like she would be using her free day off that she had earned the other night after all.

The next day began with a beautiful sunrise; Beth would know because she was up long before the sun, her body restless with excitement. She'd get to spend the whole day with Daryl. Her heart was practically jumping out of her chest. She selected her outfit for the day – a cream colored top, one of her nicer pairs of jeans, and her favorite pair of boots – cute but conservative. She pulled her hair into her customary ponytail.

Beth printed off the directions and the information she had found for all the different properties. She crept downstairs, grabbed an apple for a quick breakfast, and snuck out to the front porch to wait. Daryl had never really specified when he would come to pick her up, so she made herself comfy on the porch swing. She was going over her list of apartments when she heard a loud engine approaching the farm.

She stood up as Daryl's bike came into view and skipped down the steps to meet him in the driveway, looping the strap of her purse over her head as she walked. "Morning!" she greeted him cheerfully.

"Morning," he smiled, reaching out to wrap his arm around her waist and pulling her in for a quick kiss. "Ya ready?"

Beth blushed slightly, still not used to a man like Daryl just up and kissing her so freely like he did. It made her heart leap with happiness and nervousness. She nodded, not trusting her voice all of a sudden.

Daryl handed her a spare helmet, helping her fasten it under her chin. He held out a hand to help her keep her balance as she swung her leg over the seat of the motorcycle, holding onto his shoulder with her free hand. Once she was seated, she rested her hands on his sides, just below his rib cage. "Gotta hold on tighter than that," he said as he gently took her hands and brought them to rest just above his navel. "Don't want ya flyin' off once we get on the highway."

Once he was satisfied with her grip around him, he started the engine and slowly made his way back toward the main road, letting Beth grow accustomed to leaning with him as he took each curve of the driveway. As they hit the highway that ran past the farm, Daryl took off, and Beth clung tightly around his waist and squeezed her thighs tightly around his. She let out an excited "Whoo!" as they sped down the road into town.

Daryl stopped at a café on the edge of town, near the interstate. He shut off the motor and lowered the kick stand, then held out his hand to help Beth off the bike. Her legs were still wobbly from all the vibrations and from gripping around Daryl so tightly; when her feet hit the ground, her knees buckled underneath her. Daryl's arms shot out and caught her; she marveled at his strength again as she fought to regain her balance. Once she was steady on her feet again, he removed his helmet, then reached up to unclip hers. Some of her hair had come loose from her ponytail; after he stowed the helmets in the side compartment, then brought his hand up to tuck her stray hairs behind her ears.

She smiled at him, swearing to herself that the blush crossing her face was strictly due to the ride on the back of his bike. _Will there ever be a time he doesn't make me blush?_ She stepped back as he gracefully swung his leg over the bike. He placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her into the tiny café.

They ordered their coffees, both of them indulging in a pastry; Daryl picked a bearclaw, Beth a cherry Danish. They sat at a small table near the window to eat their breakfast. Daryl started casting glances at Beth and chuckling before the finally let out a frustrated, "What?"

Daryl leaned over and reached out his hand, thumb extended. "You got a little cherry on your cheek," he explained softly. Beth felt a flush creep over her as he rubbed his thumb against the offending stickiness, then bringing his thumb to his mouth to clean it off, his eyes never leaving hers.

The two finished their brief meal. Beth took out her list of apartments so Daryl knew where they'd be going today. They cleared their places and walked back out to Daryl's motorcycle, their arms brushing against each other with every step. Beth felt a slight thrill every time they touched; she wondered if Daryl felt the same.

Helmets on, they saddled up on the bike and headed down the interstate toward the first apartment on the list. The leasing agent met them at the front door and showed them in. It was cute enough, but there was a definite smell that Beth couldn't place. After they had seen all the rooms, Daryl took the lead asking questions about the lease and utilities. Beth gazed up at him in awe; he seemed so confident, like he went apartment shopping all the time and knew exactly what questions to ask. The agent shook their hands as they walked back out to the motorcycle. "So what'd you think?" Beth asked.

"No. Not that one."

"Why not? I thought it was cute."

"Your nose work okay?" he raised an eyebrow at her. "That smell in there was mold. Shit's hard to get rid of. Besides, ya never go with the first one you see."

Beth hung her head and kicked at the ground. She did notice the smell, she just thought it was because the apartment had been vacant and closed up. She shrugged and grabbed her helmet before hopping on the back of Daryl's bike again. They made their way through several neighborhoods before arriving at her next appointment. Beth took off her helmet and looked at the building, knowing right away she wasn't going to take this one either. The building looked like it was crumbling from the outside in, and leaning on one of its corners.

Daryl turned and gave her a doubtful look. Beth asked him, "Do we even bother?"

"Your call, darling. Can't imagine it looks much better on the inside. Look along the foundation line. All those cracks…you're gonna have bugs and water coming in all year long."

Beth sighed heavily and fished her phone out of her purse. She dialed up the management company and cancelled her appointment. When she ended the call, she wrapped her arms around Daryl's waist and peeked over his shoulder. "Guess we've got some time to kill."

He glanced at her over his shoulder and smirked at her. "Any ideas?"

She grinned, "I trust you."

Daryl put his helmet back on, turned to her again and said, "Buckle up." She hurriedly fastened her helmet and grabbed hold of his waist just before he revved the bike's engine and rumbled down the street. He drove slowly through the neighborhoods, seemingly not with any destination in mind. They wound up pulling under a shade tree at the edge of a small park. Beth hopped off the bike and took off her helmet, placing it in the side compartment. Daryl stood next to her and slowly ran his fingers down her arm, sending a wave of chills up and down her spine. He laced his fingers between hers and pulled gently on her hand, silently asking her to follow him.

They found a comfy looking spot under the tree; Daryl sat down, leaning against the trunk, and pulled Beth down to sit between his legs. She looked over her shoulder at him, suddenly a little nervous. "What? Can't have ya leaning against the tree, getting yer shirt all dirty." She smiled softly and relaxed against his chest, her smile widening when she felt him sigh beneath her. Her head fit naturally in the space between his shoulder and his neck.

"This is nice," she murmured contentedly.

"Mm-hmm," he hummed in agreement. Beth felt him move beneath him, and gasped loudly when his lips brushed against her neck. She spun around and stared at him, her eyes wide with surprise. "Sorry," he muttered. "Couldn't resist." He smiled guiltily at her, but the smile in his eyes showed he wasn't all that sorry.

He leaned forward and caught her lips in a soft kiss, which she timidly returned. His lips moved against hers, drawing her in. Daryl wound his arms around her waist and tugged her into his lap, his mouth never leaving hers. He smiled against her then teased the seam of her lips with the tip of his tongue. She opened her mouth readily to him, accepting his tongue as he tasted her. He brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers, then cupped her jaw in his palm.

Beth melted into him, sliding her arms around his neck, anchoring herself to him. His large hands all but covered her back, drawing her ever close to him, then, without warning, released her; she groaned at the loss of closeness between them. Beth gazed up at him, a worried look crossing her face.

"Don't wanna get carried away," Daryl apologized. "We are in public, and you've got another appointment to keep coming up soon." He chuckled softly when she lowered her eyes, her face crestfallen. "Hey." He raised her chin with his forefinger, waiting for her eyes to meet his. "Trust me, I'd love to get carried away with you." He brushed his thumb across the blush spreading on the apple of her cheek and kissed her sweetly again, before returning her to the place between his legs, letting her relax against him again.

Beth was leaning against him, his arms draped down her sides, her hands resting on his, but she was definitely not relaxed. How could she when this man, with his strong arms wrapped around her, had just dropped that little bombshell on her? She willed her heart to slow down before it beat right out of her chest. She was just starting to calm down when he nudged her and let her know it was time to head out to the next appointment. Beth held in any complaints, not wanting to leave the quiet spot.

They toured all over, keeping the many appointments Beth had made. Each apartment had good qualities, some more than others, but none felt like home to Beth. As the day went on, Beth grew more and more worried.

"Don't freak out just yet. We'll find something," Daryl reassured her.

After the last appointment of the day, Beth had given up. Daryl was driving through the streets of the neighborhood, and ended up at a delicatessen. "Come on. You'll feel better after lunch." He held her hand and led her inside and up to the counter. They ordered their sandwiches and found a table near the back. Beth picked at her sandwich, not feeling much of an appetite. As they ate, she looked around the deli, taking in the décor. Across the aisle was a bulletin board full of signs for community events and "Need a Sitter?" flyers. One particular poster caught Beth's eye – there were no graphics, nothing fancy about it, but it advertised a place for rent. She pointed it out to Daryl, "What do you think?"

Daryl shrugged his shoulders noncommittally, "Sure. Why not? Who knows, you might get lucky." She blushed, again, and he winked at her.

Her appetite suddenly returning, Beth wolfed down her sandwich and cleared both of their places. She had a really good feeling about this one.

They pulled up to the house, and Beth immediately fell in love with it. She all but skipped up the path to the front door and knocked. An older, bearded gentleman with wild eyebrows and soft brown eyes opened the door. "May I help you?"

"Hi, I'm Beth Greene," she introduced herself. "I saw the flyer for an apartment to rent at the deli down the block and wondered if it was still available."

"Ah! Nice to meet you. My name is Dale...Dale Horvath," he offered his hand for a handshake. "Yeah, the apartment is still available. Let me open it up for you." He stepped outside and led her and Daryl down the driveway toward the back of the house. He climbed the steps leading up to the second story door and slid the key in the lock, opened the door, and gestured for her to walk in. Beth took one look around and knew it was perfect.

They stepped into a small living room, bright and cheery sunshine streaming in through the windows, lightening the space instantly. Beth followed the natural flow of the room into the short hallway that led to the kitchen and, following it further, the 2 bedrooms. The kitchen wasn't spacious by any means, but if it was just for Beth, it was perfect; plenty of cabinet and counter space for her, room for a small dining table. The master bedroom was spacious, at least spacious enough for Beth, while the second bedroom was smaller and could easily be used for more storage or as an office. The walls were freshly painted a soft white; the floors were covered with soft looking, creamy colored carpets, and Beth couldn't wait to run her toes through it. She went back out to the living room to find Daryl in conversation with Dale.

"We'd saved up for when we retire, bought an RV and planned to travel the country. Then my Irma was diagnosed with cancer and...well, it's just been me for a little over a year." His eyes glanced over at Beth, who had come to join them in the middle of the room. He smiled, a little sadly, and continued, "I sold the RV and poured myself into converting the house to split into this apartment. All this room was far too much for just me. It'll be nice to have someone close by again."

Daryl looked over to Beth, "Wanna give me a tour?" Beth grinned and took him by the hand and led him back through the apartment. When Daryl had seen and inspected everything he could, he asked her, "So what do you think?"

Beth swore she saw something like a twinkle in his eye, and she was sure her expression matched his. "I really like it. What do you think? Is it...okay?"

"Seems to be. Neighborhood seems pretty nice. Won't take much to keep this place warm in winter, everything seems pretty on par as far as pipes and electric. It's up to you, though."

Beth beamed up at him and forced herself to calmly walk back to the living room to talk to Mr. Horvath. "I love it! What's the next step?"

"I'll run downstairs and grab the paperwork for you to fill out," he excused himself.

Beth turned to see Daryl leaning in the archway separating the living room from the kitchen. She sauntered over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist; she felt his arms slide around her shoulders, pulling her close. She craned her neck to look up at him, "Thank you so much for coming with me today. It really, really means a lot to me."

"Ain't nothin'," he shrugged it off.

"It is something," she argued. "You took your day off to spend with me, and you helped me so much. What can I do to repay you?"

Daryl only smirked and lowered his head to brush his lips against hers. "There. We're even."

Beth rolled her eyes and grinned up at him. "Daryl..." she started, but was interrupted by Dale returning with the paperwork. She brought the papers into the kitchen to fill out on the counter, then wrote out a check to cover the deposit.

"When do you plan on moving in?" Dale asked.

"Over the weekend, if that's alright."

"It's fine with me," the older man smiled warmly. He held out two shiny silver keys on a key ring. "Welcome home, young lady."

Beth could hardly contain her excitement on the way back home. As they drew closer to the farmhouse, she realized her day with Daryl was drawing to a close, and she just wasn't ready to say goodbye yet. She yelled up to Daryl over the wind rushing past them, asking him if they could stop somewhere for dinner. He pulled up to the same diner he'd taken her to the other day. They ordered their favorites and talked about this, that and the other thing, but mainly about Beth's plans for the apartment. It seemed to Beth that Daryl wasn't looking to going home, either. Still, she knew eventually they'd have to face reality.

Beth snatched up the check before Daryl had a chance to, arguing that he had spent his day carting her around and giving free advice, that she owed him. Daryl could only scowl at her, but seemed to already know that trying to fight her would only end in failure.

They eventually found themselves in Beth's driveway. Beth slid off the seat, having none of the problems she did earlier in the day, and handed Daryl her helmet. "Thanks again for everything, Daryl. Really, it means so much to me that you came along."

"Don't worry about it. It was fun for me, too, ya know?"

"Really?" she asked incredulously.

"Well, yeah. Spend all day outside instead of in the garage, out on my bike with my girl wrapping her arms around me the whole time..." he cut himself off, and Beth thought she caught the slightest tinge of pink on his cheeks.

"I'm your girl?" she asked softly. He only shrugged and looked at the ground. Beth gently placed her hands on either side of his face. "Let me try that again," she grinned. "I'm your girl." It was a statement this time, not a question. She pressed a soft kiss to his lips.

Before she could pull away, Daryl had enfolded her in his arms and crushed her to his body, kissing her more urgently than he ever had. Her knees started to give way, and she knew it had nothing to do with the after-effects of riding Daryl's motorcycle. Her hands moved to play with the hair at the nape of his neck as his hands played along the small of her back. Their tongues danced around each other. Their kiss drew soft moans and sighs from both of them, and seemed to go on forever. Beth shifted slightly to the side and immediately gasped and jumped back when she felt an unfamiliar hardness pressing against her.

"Daryl...I..."

"Beth, I'm so..."

They both laughed nervously after interrupting each other. Beth spoke again first, "I should probably head back in. Besides, you've got work tomorrow."

"Yeah. It's gonna suck going back after today, though," Daryl half-way complained, his hand coming up to let the back of his fingers brush against her flushed cheek.

"Let me know when you get home?"

"Think about me until I do?"

Beth blushed again, "You know it."

"Alright, darlin'. I'll talk to you soon, okay?"

"Okay. Good night, Daryl. Thanks again."

"G'night Beth." He started up the engine, giving her one last, longing look, and drove down the long driveway and out of sight.


	6. Moving

**Chapter 6 - Moving**

Beth walked into the living room, finding her parents there watching TV, and told them about the apartment she'd found. Her excitement was slightly dampened when both of her parents showed their disappointment and skepticism that she had found the so-called perfect apartment without taking her parents for a quick walk through, seeking their approval before putting down a deposit. Beth felt a twinge of guilt, not wanting to bring up the fact that they would have been too busy to come along with her anyway. On top of that, Hershel was just not as young as he used to be, and all the driving around would have worn him out, anyway. Besides, there was no telling if her parents would have wanted to eat at the little deli where Beth had just happened to find the flyer for the apartment; Daryl had picked where to go for lunch that day.

Despite all the reasons and excuses Beth could have given them, she gritted her teeth and smiled at her parents. "When would you like to see it?" she asked sweetly, holding tight to the keys in her pocket. Hershel and Annette looked at each other, as if they were silently communicating, trying to decide what time they could spare from their already busy schedules at the farm.

Hershel turned back to her, "First thing tomorrow." He got up from his armchair and walked heavily up the stairs, his message clear – end of conversation.

Beth looked to gauge her mother's reaction, but her face wasn't giving much away. She silently followed her husband up the stairs. _Great. I didn't want to upset them. What a mess. _She followed her parents up the stairs and went to her own room. She sent Daryl a good night text and got ready for bed.

The drive to Beth's new apartment was quiet for the most part. Annette tried her best to keep up mild conversation, but Hershel didn't seem in a talking mood, and Beth was lost in thought over how her life was changing so rapidly. In the span of a month, she had found herself an amazing boyfriend, she would be moving out of her parents' house and living on her own, and would begin her training for her teaching career. She realized just how much she still needed to get done before her student teaching began.

It dawned on her she had very little furniture to fill her apartment. She had her bed and her dresser, but no couch or anything for the living room, no dishes of her own, no food...not even a vacuum to clean the carpets...not to mention Beth needed to update her wardrobe with more teaching appropriate attire. Her mind swam as the reality of just how quickly her savings was about to be depleted sank in. She had told her boss at the ice cream shop that she could still come in, but would definitely need to cut back on her hours, at least until she got into the swing of things at her teaching assignments.

Beth sighed internally as she questioned herself – had she bitten off more than she could chew? Maybe she should just stay at her parents' house until she got an actual teaching job. Her heart dropped; she was really looking forward to being out on her own.

As they got closer, Beth gave Hershel turn by turn directions from the back seat. They drove up to the house and pulled into the driveway, parking in the widened driveway in the back of the house. Beth led her parents up the stairs and opened the door for them to enter. She felt a little more at ease when she saw her mother's smile at her first impression of the apartment; her father had a very critical eye and was already on the lookout for something to find wrong. Beth was slightly relieved when he had stayed quiet for so long.

After a short eternity, Hershel faced his daughter, his inspection completed, "Everything looks real good, Bethy. You found a good one. How'd you find it?"

"We'd been looking all day and couldn't find anything, so we stopped for lunch and there was a flyer on a bulletin board, so we tried it on a hunch and...it's perfect...isn't it?" Beth faltered as she saw the look on her parents' faces.

"We?" Annette asked. "Who's we?"

Beth mentally slapped herself. She hadn't told any of her family about Daryl yet. It was still so new, and they'd really only made things kind of official last night. There was no shame in their being together, though; Daryl was a good man, a great guy. "Um...me and Daryl."

Her parents looked at each other. "Daryl?" her mom questioned. "Glenn's friend?"

"Yeah...yes. We'd met before, doing stuff with Maggie and Glenn, but actually got to talk at the wedding, and then we've…kept in touch since then," she tried to explain.

"Uh huh," Hershel grumbled, sounding very suspicious. "He's a little old for you, isn't he Bethy?"

Beth looked incredulously between her mother and father. _Really? They're close to twenty years apart themselves, and they're going to have a fit because Daryl and I are...well...how old is he, anyway?_

Annette grinned a little sheepishly, seemingly reading Beth's mind, and placed a hand on her husband's upper arm, "That may not be the best argument, dear."

Hershel looked down at her and caught her drift then turned back to direct his attention to Beth, "Fair enough. I want to meet him."

"You've already met Daryl," Beth started to complain.

"I have, but not as someone with whom my daughter apparently feels comfortable enough to take apartment shopping instead of her own fath...parents," Hershel retorted, obviously upset with Beth's decision.

"Daddy, I know how busy you and mom are on the farm and didn't want to take you away from everything for a whole day. I asked Maggie and Glenn first, but they were both busy with work, too. I was talking to Daryl and he volunteered. He had the day off work anyway, so I accepted. I didn't mean to make you upset, I just didn't want to do all this by myself. I wouldn't know what questions to ask or what to look for, but Daryl did. I promise, Daddy. Please don't be mad at me," Beth pleaded.

Hershel's face softened; he opened his arms for a hug which Beth gladly stepped into. "I'm not mad, doodlebug. This is all just kind of taking me by surprise. Guess I didn't realize you'd be moving out so soon."

Beth stepped out of his embrace and smiled up at her father. "So," she gestured to the rest of the apartment, "what do you think?"

"It's a cute little place, Beth," Annette approved and looked to her husband.

Hershel nodded approvingly, "Everything looks good. You can afford it okay?"

Beth chewed on her lip before answering, "Well, I'll still have hours at work, and I've got a bunch saved up, but I'm going to have to get furniture and everything eventually, so things'll be pretty tight, but I think I can make it work."

Hershel and Annette looked at each other, "We'll see what we can do about that," Annette smiled, putting her arm around Beth's shoulders. Hershel took a tape measure out of his pocket and began measuring dimensions of rooms and doors then ushered the women out the door and back to the car.

The Greenes drove back to town and stopped at This n' That, a second-hand furniture store run by Lori Grimes, the sheriff's wife. The Grimes were longtime friends of the Greene family and Lori was more than happy to cut a deal for Beth's first set of furniture. Hershel and Annette ended up purchasing a small couch, dining table and chairs, a full-sized mattress, bed frame and headboard, and dresser for their youngest. Beth was overwhelmed with gratitude toward her parents. This took an enormous weight off her mind. She realized her parents had always been incredibly supportive of her and her siblings and really shouldn't have been surprised or nervous that they'd be so willing to help her get her new place all set up.

They made arrangements for the furniture to be delivered on Saturday and headed home. The ride back carried none of the tension from their ride that morning. Everyone seemed to be in much better spirits now that things were more concretely planned out, less was hanging in the air still to be decided. On the way home, Beth texted Daryl. **_Please call when you get a chance. I'll be up, I promise._** She smiled to herself and sent a second text, **_I keep thinking about you, btw. _**A few minutes later she got a text back.

**_Is that right? Everything okay?_**

**_Everything's fine. Just would rather talk this out, not text._**

**_Why do I have the feeling this is bad news?_**

**_Not bad news, I promise. Just...and don't _**

**_take this the wrong way...we need to talk._**

**_Well that sounds nice and ominous._**

**_J_****_ Like I said. I promise. No bad news._**

**_Alright, darling. I'll try and call around 8?_**

**_Sounds perfect. Talk to you then._**

**_Alright._**

**_I keep thinking about you, too, ya know._**

**_Aww...really?_**

Beth stared at her phone, waiting for Daryl's reply, but it never came. She groaned internally, mentally cursing their stupid schedules for being so uncooperative. She glanced at the time and realized he had probably been at the end of his lunch break when she had first texted him and he had to go back to work. She couldn't begrudge him for not answering, especially if the garage had been closed all day yesterday. She tried to spin the bright side of the situation and chalked it all up to him being a loyal and dedicated worker.

When they returned to the farm house, Beth began her chores around the farm, then drove into town to stop at the ice cream shop and the diner to beg for empty cardboard boxes. She loaded up her little car with dissembled boxes and went back home to begin packing. As she packed, she made a mental list of the things she'd still need for her apartment: dishes, vacuum, cleaning supplies, curtains (not that anyone would really be looking in on her on the second floor), a TV (eventually...and a cable plan), lamps, and 'teaching' clothes...and shoes. Later she would worry about decorating her apartment, making it really hers, but she knew she needed to focus on necessities first. She began to wonder about internet access, resolving to using wi-fi at a café or something until she could find a plan she could afford.

Beth was lost in thought and jumped when her phone alerted her to a text message received. She smiled widely when she finally got Daryl's response. **_Of course._** She figured he'd just gotten off work judging by the time. Her mother called her downstairs for dinner. She decided he was probably riding his bike back to his house and wouldn't hear or respond to her text anyway, so she left the phone on her bed and went downstairs to set the table.

After dinner, Beth spent some much needed time with her parents. It was hard to believe that in a few short days, she wouldn't have this time with them anymore. She knew she could always visit, but it wouldn't be the same. They settled in and watched some TV, just enjoying each other's company. As the sitcoms played out on the screen, Beth realized they'd been watching for a couple hours now and that Daryl would be calling soon. She jumped up and hustled up the stairs, hoping she hadn't already missed his call. She lunged for her phone and saw she had two missed text messages, one from Maggie and one from Daryl. She opened Daryl's first. **_Thinking about how much I like kissing you. _**She blushed brightly, but instead of replying, she decided to wait until he called to tell him just what was on her mind.

Maggie's text was asking how apartment hunting was going. Beth quickly texted back, telling her she'd found a really cute place and that plans were to move in on Saturday, reminding her that she promised she'd help haul and unpack stuff. She had just gotten Maggie's response when her phone started ringing in her hand.

"You're really good at that, you know," Beth answered with a smile.

"Oh yeah? What's that?" he asked, his voice smiling back at her through the phone.

"Calling me or texting me when I'm thinking about you."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. But I think about you quite often, so you're bound to hit the mark once in a while," she teased.

Daryl scoffed, "Oh, that's how it is, huh? Build me up then let me down. Might as well start callin' ya Buttercup."

He had her there. "Buttercup?" _Am I a horse now?_

"Yeah, ya know," he cleared his throat and sang in a soft, slightly off-pitch falsetto, "Why do ya build me up, buttercup, baby, just to let me down and mess me around…"

Beth joined in, effectively cutting him off, "And worst of all, you never call baby when you say you will, but I love you still…" But stopped short when she realized the lyrics she had just sung. "Um…that's a great song."

"Yeah. Oldie but goodie."

"Uh-huh."

The awkward silence filling the line was almost painful.

Daryl cleared his throat, "So, you said we, uh, needed to talk?"

Beth shook her head, finally coming back to the conversation, and frantically tried to recall why she'd wanted him to call so badly. "Oh, right. Well, you can still help me move on Saturday, right?"

"Sure. I switched shifts with one of the guys at the shop. Talked to my brother Merle, he's bringing his truck. Should make up for me just having my bike. It's fun to ride, but shit for hauling stuff…besides pretty girls, that is."

Beth's breath caught in her throat; she'd gone speechless again at his compliment. She finally found her voice, "That's great. Would you mind maybe coming over a little earlier?"

"I think I can do that. What's going on?" The suspicion in his voice told Beth he knew she was avoiding the whole truth.

She sighed. _Just spit it out, Beth!_ she reprimanded herself. "My dad wants to meet you."

There was a quiet minute before he responded. "He's met me," Daryl replied, an edge of confusion in his voice.

"I know…but not as my…boyfriend," Beth stammered out.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

Another moment of deafening silence weighed over them. When Beth couldn't stand it anymore, she kept trying, explaining to him, "I think his words were something like, 'I want to meet the man my daughter trusts so much to take apartment shopping with her instead of her own father.' At least, something like that."

The silence refused to release its grip. She tried to smooth things over, "Please, Daryl? I know it sucks doing the whole 'meet the parents' thing, but it shouldn't be too bad. Like you said, he's already met you."

"It ain't that," Daryl finally responded. "I ain't been someone's boyfriend in…ever."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

Beth waited a beat before asking, clarifying what she thought she'd just heard. "You've never had a girlfriend before?"

"Not really. Had girls, had friends. Never officially had a girlfriend." Beth could imagine him doing air quotes as he said the word.

"How old are you, Daryl?" Beth asked, realizing too late how out of the blue the question sounded.

"Thirty-one. Why? Just how old are you?"

"I'm twenty-two. I was just curious, is all."

"Curious, huh?" Daryl sounded skeptical.

"Yeah," she replied shyly. "I can't understand how no one's snatched you up yet. Someone as sweet and handsome as you?" _Nothing wrong with a little shameless flirting, right?_

"Why does it feel like you're buttering me up?"

"Cause I wanna keep Daddy happy, and he'll be happy if he gets to meet you. Will you come early on Saturday? I'll even make you breakfast."

"I dunno…it'd have to be a damn good breakfast."

"Biscuits, gravy and bacon okay? I'll even make some for Merle," she offered.

Daryl whistled lowly and chuckled, "Man, you must really want me there."

"If it makes you feel any better, I never actually told him you were my boyfriend."

"Why not?" Daryl questioned. He almost sounded hurt.

"Oh! I didn't mean it like that! I just meant…like to take the pressure off."

"You're still my girl, ain'cha?"

"Of course I am, Daryl," Beth said softly.

"Guess I'm yer man, then, huh?"

"Guess so," she said through her smile.

"'S only right to meet yer pa, then. I'll be there. 7:30 okay?"

"7:30 is perfect. Thank you, Daryl."

"Yer welcome."

A much more comfortable silence settled over them. Beth imagined them sitting in her apartment, curled up on the couch, just relaxing against each other. "So…"

"So…?"

"So you think about kissing me, huh?" she let out with a giggle.

"Geez, ya get me to agree to meet yer old man, then you start pulling the big punches."

"Cause I certainly think about kissing you…" Beth's voice lowered. She felt a combination of naughty and bashful as she lazily traced the design on her comforter with her fingernail.

Daryl's voice lowered, too. "Yeah. Me too. I tell ya, Saturday's gonna be rough, spendin' all day with ya and I gotta keep my hands offa ya."

Beth giggled at the thought. "Aww…poor baby. Guess you'll just have to stay later and help me unpack, huh?"

"Mmm…we'll see."

Another weighted silence passed between them.

"I should probably get offa here pretty soon. Got an early morning comin' up."

"Oh," Beth couldn't keep the disappointment out of her voice. "Okay, then."

"I'll see ya Saturday?"

"Bright and early," she answered. "Hey Daryl?"

"Yeah?"

"I-I-I-I need you, more than anyone darling, you know that I have from the start…" she quietly sang into the phone. She grinned when she heard Daryl out right laughing on the other end.

"G'night, buttercup."

"Don't break my heart," Beth murmured. "G'night."

Saturday finally arrived. Sure enough, Daryl pulled up the driveway on his bike, Merle following behind in his pick-up truck. Beth watched from the kitchen as the Dixon brothers came up the walkway and climbed the steps to the front door. Daryl knocked on the screen door, and before she could make her way out of the kitchen, she heard her father greet the two men and ushered them inside.

Hershel directed Merle toward the kitchen table while he and Daryl went back to his office for a private conversation.

Beth had mixed feelings bubbling up inside her. She was excited that Daryl was here, keeping his promise, making their relationship as official as anyone could ask for; she was nervous, mostly for Daryl, hoping her father wasn't being too tough on him in there. She could just imagine her daddy leaning back against his desk as Daryl sat in one of the chairs facing him, like a scene out of a principal's office, and she giggled to herself.

Merle sauntered into the kitchen. Her nervousness grew as he entered. They'd met once before, but he was so much older than she was and seemed pretty rough around the edges, so she never really made a point to talk to him.

Merle inhaled deeply and sighed loudly, "Smells real good. What we havin?"

Beth looked at him shyly, "Biscuits, gravy and bacon. Working on a fruit salad."

"Damn, lil bit, you must really like mah brother, feedin us like this."

She blushed but turned to meet him full on. "I don't know if we've ever actually been introduced. I'm Beth."

"Merle."

"Nice to meet you. Have a seat. Want some coffee?"

"Sounds good to me."

She poured him a cup and placed it in front of him. "Milk? Sugar?" she offered.

"Nah. Dixon men take their coffee black."

Beth seemed to remember at the little coffee house that Daryl poured a ton of sugar in his cup, but she wasn't about to throw him under the bus to his brother. She kept his secret and went back to work peeling and slicing up the fruit for her salad.

"You known mah brother long?" Merle asked after a few sips of coffee.

"A while. We met through my sister and her boyf…husband. Sorry, it's still kinda new. They just got married a little over a month ago."

"Congrats." Merle looked like he was about to say something else when Hershel and Daryl entered the kitchen.

Beth hurried to fill two more cups of coffee, fixing Hershel's the way she knew he liked it, and pouring a generous amount of sugar into Daryl's, trying to keep it hidden from Merle. "Everything go okay?" she whispered as she set the mug in front of Daryl.

"Mmhmm," was the only response Daryl gave. Hopefully she'd be able to get more out of him as the day went on.

Within minutes, the salad was ready, the gravy had finally thickened enough, and the timer for the biscuits dinged. Beth took the bacon out of the microwave, where it had been staying warm and served the three men heaping plates of breakfast with a bowl of fruit salad each. They all tucked in, not speaking much except to comment how tasty everything was. Annette made her way downstairs and scooped herself a bowl of salad and sat next to her husband. She eyed Daryl approvingly and looked over and winked at Beth, who had been busying herself cleaning up her mess in the kitchen. Beth served herself some food and sat across from Daryl, delighting in just watching him eat the meal she had made, mainly for him, and let herself get carried away with thoughts of making breakfast for just the two of them in her apartment.

Maggie and Glenn finally arrived, greeting everyone warmly, and helped themselves to some breakfast. Everyone chit-chatted as they finished their meal, then the crew set to work.

Beth had already packed almost everything she owned, only leaving out the things she still needed while still living at her parent's house. Her bed and dresser were staying, but everything else in her room was set to move into her new apartment. Everyone worked together, hauling boxes of Beth's belongings and clothes – everyone except Hershel and Annette.

Several months ago, Hershel had been rushed to the hospital with angina. He had affectionately called his wife Nurse Ratched ever since, constantly reminding him to take it easy and keep his heart rate under control. She all but tied him down as the rest of the group worked to load Beth's room into the cars and trucks waiting in the driveway.

Once everything had been loaded up, they all piled into their cars and began the convoy to Beth's apartment. Beth took the lead, followed by Daryl on his bike, then Merle, Maggie and Annette and Hershel bringing up the rear. They started the job of unloading everything and hauling it up the flight of stairs to the apartment. At this point, Hershel was glad to follow Annette's orders and take it easy.

All of the commotion of cars and an eventual delivery truck as Beth's almost-new furniture arrived drew Dale out of his half of the house to greet his new tenant and her friends and family. Hershel and Dale hit it off right away, both of them happy to just be spectators, watching the younger members of the group work and sweat.

After a couple of hours of work, Beth surprised everyone with pizza and soda for lunch. Hershel, Maggie and Daryl all fought her on it, none of them thinking it was right for her to pay for food for seven people, but she wouldn't hear it from anyone. "I owe you guys so much for helping me out today. There's no way I could have done any of this without you. Let me at least thank you with food."

As the number of boxes coming from the vehicles dwindled, Beth, Maggie and Annette began unpacking. It was easy work for the most part. Beth realized she'd need some shelves to hold her knick-knacks and picture frames. Her kitchen sat empty. She stopped unpacking the box she was working on and stared at the bare counter and cabinets, resolving to find a second hand store to pick up some appliances and maybe some dishes to fill them.

Glenn came through the front door carrying a large box Beth didn't recognize, mainly due to the large red bow on the top. Maggie surprised her with a hug from behind. "Happy Homecoming!" she said excitedly. "Thought this would help fill things out around here." Glenn set the box down on the kitchen table and gave Beth a hug when she came to see.

Beth untied the bow and opened the flaps of the box to reveal a set of plates, bowls, and glasses. "Oh my gosh, you guys! You didn't have to do this!"

"Keep going, you're not done," Glenn urged her on.

Beth pulled out all the dishes, putting them in her kitchen cabinets right away and felt along the bottom of the box, which turned out to be a smaller, flat box. She pulled it out and knew immediately what was inside by the tell-tale jingling of metal on metal. She tore open the tape and found a set of silverware inside. "Seriously, Maggie, Glenn, you are the best!" She wrapped her arms around both of them and pulled them into a tight hug. "Thank you so much!"

"Now you just need some pots and pans to cook with to fill them," Annette said with a grin, then put her hands on Beth's shoulders and turned her to face the front door. Hershel was standing there with another box, complete with red bow.

"Really?!" Beth exclaimed. She took the box from her father and placed it on the table, tearing into it and finding baking sheets, a skillet and a set of matching pots and lids. "Thank you thank you thank you!" She hugged each of her parents and kissed them each on the cheek. "Oh my gosh, this is absolutely wonderful."

"You deserve it, Bethy," Hershel smiled at his youngest daughter and kissed her on the top of her head. Annette pulled her in for another hug. "Alright, everyone, let's grab some dinner and head out, let her get settled. Our treat," he said, giving a pointed look at Beth.

They all piled into their cars, Beth riding with her parents, and followed Hershel to a local family restaurant. Annette asked how he'd known about the place, and he explained that Dale had recommended it to him.

Beth felt somewhat obliged to sit in the middle of her family, especially after all their help and gifts to start stocking her kitchen. She caught Daryl's eye every chance she could and offered tiny smiles. Her fingers itched to pull out her phone and text him even though he was a few feet away, but decided that would be incredibly rude to the rest of her family, and so she resisted.

At the end of the meal, everyone went to their cars and parted ways. Beth thanked Merle for all his help as he left, and turned to see Hershel shaking hands with Daryl as he and Annette got into their car and drove off. Beth found herself alone with Daryl in the parking lot. "Wanna ride back?" he offered.

"I thought you'd never ask," Beth said with a smile.

The ride back to her apartment went by far too quickly for Beth. She hated letting go of him, hated the thought of him leaving. It dawned on her this would be her first night in a brand new place, all by herself, and the idea had her a little scared.

"Do you...do you wanna come up for a little bit?" Beth asked, her eyes glued to fingers tying knots around each other.

Daryl planted his feet on the ground and swung his leg over the bike. He lifted Beth's chin with his gentle fingers, bringing her eyes to meet his. "I thought you'd never ask," he grinned and planted a quick kiss on her lips before turning her and guiding her towards the steps to her door, his hand firm and warm on the small of her back.

Beth blushed as she unlocked the door and walked in. She felt like the girl in one of those romantic comedies she and Maggie would always watch, and she knew how this scene was likely to play out. Her fingers shook as she fumbled for the light switch. She quickly crossed to the kitchen table and deposited her purse and keys. She shook out her hands and clenched and unclenched her fists, trying to gain some control over her trembling. "Can I get you some...um...water?" she asked, her face contorting into a grimace. _God, how stupid did that sound?_

Daryl chuckled, "Nah. I'm good, thanks. You okay?"

"Yeah...I'm fine," her voice belying the confidence she was trying to exude.

"You sure?"

Beth finally looked up at him, really looked at him, and saw the look of concern on his face. "I'm just a little nervous, I guess."

"Nervous about what?" Beth was incredibly grateful that he was still standing near the door. She needed the space between them. She was about to jump out of her skin as it was; she didn't need Daryl to hear her heartbeat hammering away on top of that. He must have heard her thoughts, because he started to step further into the room. To her relief, Daryl crossed over to the couch and sat down.

Beth leaned against the kitchen table, crossed her arms across her chest and shrugged, her eyes cast downward, "Just kinda freaked out about staying here all by myself. I've never had my own place before." She slowly moved to join Daryl, keeping a safe distance between them. She'd never really been alone with a boy, a man, before. _What was I thinking asking him to come up? _"Daryl, I...I didn't mean to give you the wrong idea..."

"Wrong idea? Beth, what are you talkin' 'bout?" He turned to face her, but didn't move any closer. Beth's pulse slowed down, fractionally.

"I just...I don't mean to lead you on by asking you up here. I know what it sounded like, but..."

"Hey, hey," Daryl said softly, soothingly. "I'm not...expecting anything. We can just hang out. Nothing has to happen. It's okay."

"Really?" Beth questioned, hope making her voice sound higher than normal.

"Really," he looked her square in the eye. He gazed at her, as if he was searching for something, an answer to some question brewing in his mind. "C'mere," he jerked his head, motioning for her to scoot over toward him.

After a moment's pause, Beth shifted closer to Daryl. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer, and kissed the top of her head. He did nothing more than just hold her to his side. Little by little, her nervousness left her, allowing her to breathe normally again.

"Ya found yerself a real nice place, buttercup."

"Thanks." Beth smiled and looked up at him, "I mean it, thank you. You've done so much to help me."

Daryl shrugged, "You're my girl. Ain't I supposed to help you when I can?"

Beth sighed against him, "Hmm...I like when you say that." She snuggled in closer to him, inhaling his scent, a mixture of leather, motor oil, and...something else. Something sweaty and musky and manly and so very him. She moved closer, sliding her arms around his middle, nuzzling her nose against his neck.

Daryl looked down at her with hooded eyes; she peered up at him from beneath her lashes. He didn't move any more than that, putting Beth completely in control of the situation. She recognized what he was doing, for her, for them, and the realization tugged at her heartstrings. She could feel herself falling, and falling hard. She let out a shaky breath and leaned back against the couch, Daryl's arm still draped over her shoulders.

"Can I ask you something?" she asked quietly.

"Shoot."

"What all did you and my dad talk about?"

Daryl barked out a quick laugh. "We just talked. Nothing big. Wasn't so bad since he already knows me. He said something about not giving me any grief about my being older." He looked down at her, an undefined emotion filling his expression.

Beth could feel Daryl tense up against her, as if he were fighting to keep himself still. She readjusted herself and leaned forward, pressing her lips to the edge of his jaw, along his cheek, to the corner of his mouth. She laid her hand on his opposite cheek, pulling him gently down to meet her, and kissed him softly. Her heart was hammering against her ribcage. _Why am I so nervous? We've kissed before. _

_Because you're alone with him. No interruptions, no distractions, and nowhere to be._

She moved her lips against his, urging him to kiss her back. Beth knew he was leaving everything up to her, but she was hoping he would play along a little. She teased the seam of his lips with the tip of her tongue, and he opened for her. She hesitantly let her tongue slip into his mouth, tasting him, then pulled back, looking up at him with questioning eyes.

Daryl opened his eyes, his expression full of promise and reassurance. He tightened his grip, ever so slightly, around her shoulders and pulled her carefully closer to him, guiding her back to him. Their lips met, tenderly, tentatively, almost as if they'd never kissed before. Beth supposed they never had, not like this.

The thought spurred her on. She kissed him harder, more fervently, sliding her hands to wrap around his neck. She felt him moving next to her, and suddenly she was weightless as he slipped his arm under her knees, lifting her and placing her across his lap. His hand skimmed around her legs, up her thigh, resting on her waist; their lips remained locked in their kiss, even as his other arm lowered to support her back.

Daryl kept his hands still once they found their place on her; Beth marveled again at his strength and his self-control. His lips were soft, pliant, heaven against hers. He was still putting her in control of how far they went; he was just along for the ride.

Beth pressed herself against him, suddenly not able to get close enough. Their tongues twirled together, caught up in a beautiful dance of teasing and tasting each other. Her hands shifted, threading her fingers through his long, unruly hair. She pulled slightly, curling her fingers as she fisted his hair, and earned a rough moan from him in response. She took it as a sign of encouragement and decided to try something new. Beth pulled back slightly, breaking the kiss long enough to catch a breath, then used her lips to explore, dropping kisses along his cheekbone, down to his jaw, his neck, to where his neck met his shoulder. Feeling brave, she ran a trail of kisses up and down his neck, nuzzling into him as her lips found his collarbone.

"Beth," his hoarse whisper barely audible over their breathing, which, for both of them, had become heavy, almost panting. She looked up at him, unsure of what she'd find when she met his eyes. He was looking at her with a mix of warning, passion, desire, assurance, and...lust? Love? Something was there, some emotion still unknown to her, but she was eager to find out just what it was. "God, you're beautiful," he breathed, his hands coming up to frame her face. He spent a moment just looking at her, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't find the voice to express it. Instead he planted a sweet kiss against her lips, then let his mouth wander over her skin, much the same way she had done to him mere moments ago.

She sighed as he moved, his slight stubble creating a delicious sensation against her sensitive skin. His mouth never stayed in one place for long; he seemed happy exploring with his lips. Beth gasped loudly as he found her earlobe and pulled it between his lips, applying tantalizing pressure with his teeth. Her gasp evolved into a moan as Daryl raked his teeth against her neck, nipping gently at her skin, only once, before coming back to her mouth, his tongue darting past her lips, taking sudden, momentary control of the kiss. He sucked her bottom lip between his, biting down sweetly, just enough for her to feel the pressure, then released her.

Desire for him pooled in her belly, between her legs, and spread throughout her body. She suddenly wanted to feel his hands all over her, and the idea of him touching places that were as yet untouched only made the feeling stronger. "Daryl," she said breathlessly, surprising herself a little by how different her voice sounded to her own ears. "Do you...um...want to..." she trailed off, unable to finish her sentence, only looked pointedly to the hallway leading to her bedroom, then returning her gaze to his.

Daryl swallowed hard and pulled her for another kiss, this one soft and sweet; Beth knew his answer before he spoke. He broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers, "I want to. Good lord, do I want to, but I don't think it'd be the best idea." Beth couldn't hide the look of disappointment that crossed her features. "Hey," he waited until she met his eyes again, "We'll get there one day, sweetheart. I just think we should take this nice and slow, at least for now." He kissed her again and whispered against her lips. "I'm not going anywhere, darlin'."

Beth leaned back and regarded him, searching for reassurance. "It feels like you're leaving," she said, unable to keep disappointment from leaking from her voice.

"Just for the night, darlin'. I swear, it's all but killing me to stop, but I don't think either of us are ready for..."and he nodded toward the hallway.

Beth figured that the fact neither of them could actually form the words only proved that he was right. She wanted to be ready, but knew she wasn't. She nodded reluctantly and released her hold on his hair, letting her hands drop to her lap. She fought to control the tears threatening to fall, biting on her now trembling lip. She knew he wasn't really rejecting her, but this feeling bubbling up inside her did not feel good at all.

"Don't make that face, baby," he pulled her in for a tight hug. "You're breakin' my heart." He held her for a long, quiet moment. "I hate to say this, I really do, but I think I need to get going."

Beth nodded sullenly and scooted off his lap. She watched as Daryl stood up from the couch and tried to discreetly readjust his pants to hide the obvious bulge growing there. He offered his hands to help her off the couch, which she accepted, and pulled her into another hug. She breathed him in for the last time that night, relishing the feel of him against her, committing every sensation she could to memory before he left.

They parted and Beth walked him to the door. "Thank you for...everything today," she murmured, not quite able to look him in the eye. She knew it was silly, but she felt embarrassed by her suggestion for them to go back to her bedroom. Her awkwardness left her when he pulled her chin between his fingers and brought her to face him for another kiss.

"It was my pleasure," he whispered against her lips, then stood up straight and opened the front door. "I'll talk to you later, okay?" Beth only nodded, not trusting her voice. He kissed her again, firmly, and gave her a scorching look. "G'night, buttercup," he grinned and headed down the stairs.

She followed him outside, staying on the landing as she watched him climb onto his motorcycle. He looked back up at her and waved before starting the engine and pulling out of the driveway. Beth went inside, making sure to lock her door, turned off the lights, and began to get ready for bed. She was lying against her pillows, trying to fall asleep when her phone signaled a text message.

**_Missing you already._**

She grinned widely and typed her response. **_I miss you, too. Thanks again for everything today._**

**_Ain't nothing._**

**_J_****_ You're a really good kisser, you know._**

**_Takes two to tango, darlin'._**

**_When do I get to see you again?_**

**_Not sure. Got a bunch of stuff coming up._**

**_We'll find a time. Don't worry._**

**_Okay._**

**_Good night, Daryl._**

**_Good night, buttercup._**

Beth replaced her phone on the night stand, plugging in her charger, and laid back on her pillow. It was taking all her will power to stop herself from texting him again, telling him just how much she was falling in love with him.

**Good gravy, this chapter was a monster to get done. (Random piece of information for you – when I'm writing this, I usually have my Bethyl playlist going, but this morning I felt like going through the whole library on random. As I was writing the last couple chapters, Lady in Red came on. I took it as a sign to finally end the sucker.) **

**I'm sorry it took so long to get this up and posted. I had some amazing news come up over the weekend, only to have it completely reversed these last two days. It's no excuse, really, since I should have had this done before the weekend, but there it is anyway. Hopefully the 6,000+ words makes up for the delayed update.**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a review on your way out. Thanks to all my guest reviewers. Wish I could thank you personally! **


	7. Growing

**Chapter 7 - Growing**

The first morning in her new apartment, Beth bounded out of bed, excited to start her day. She still had quite a few boxes to unpack, though some of the boxes would have to remain full until she had shelves to put her books and movies on, her trinkets and little odds and ends that just didn't have a home yet.

She went around her apartment, making a list of what all she still needed. She started in her bedroom and worked her way out: teaching clothes, extra hangers, cleaning supplies for the bathroom, laundry basket, bath mat, toilet paper, nails to hang pictures on the walls, a hammer, shelves, curtains, dish soap, dish towels and wash rags, trash bags, trash can. _Geez, getting an apartment set up is expensive._ She wasn't surprised, but who ever thinks of all the little things? She was more grateful than ever to have such a wonderful family to get her kitchen started. _Ugh, the kitchen...I need to go grocery shopping!_

Beth planned out her day and set out, credit card ready to go. She started with a quick fast food breakfast and headed to the nearest Walmart, figuring it would be the best place to start price-wise. She grabbed all the supplies she needed for the apartment, skipping the grocery shopping for now. There was only so much room in her car, so she resigned to making a second trip just for groceries later in the day.

It took several trips up and down the stairs to empty out her car. She was a sweaty, panting mess by the time she was done unloading everything into the apartment. Ever the optimist, she thought _Yeah, but think of the workout I'll be getting every time I go shopping. My legs are gonna look fantastic! _She set to work putting everything away and getting her apartment to look like a home.

She was glad she'd had the forethought to grab a deli sandwich for lunch while she was out shopping. Her mother had always taught her to never go grocery shopping when she's hungry. Beth thought that piece of advice was particularly fitting when shopping at Walmart, where impulse buys were waiting in every aisle. She made it through the store relatively unscathed, only a pack of cookies and a bottle of wine somehow finding her way into the cart, and made the trip back home. She was exhausted by the time she had all the groceries unloaded from her car, but couldn't let herself relax until everything was put away.

Beth collapsed on the couch, completely bushed. She checked her watch; there were still a couple of hours before dinner time, and she grinned at the prospect of cooking for herself. She briefly wondered if Daryl would want to join her. She typed out a quick text, figuring he wouldn't get it until he was off work. He'd said he had a bunch of stuff coming up, that he'd be busy, but she figured there was no harm in asking.

As she relaxed on the couch, her mind wandered, postulating on just what else he had going on in his life. Maybe he'd picked up extra hours at the garage...or he found a second job. Based on how much she'd always paid for repairs on her car, she thought mechanics made pretty decent money. Why would he need a second job?

Beth shook her head. She was getting awfully nosy. She realized she basically had two jobs, it's just that one of the jobs wouldn't be paying her. Daryl kept pretty tight lipped about his life, only dropping tiny hints here and there about what he did in his free time - hunting - or why he'd gotten into mechanics - he was always good with his hands.

Beth's mind traveled down a wayward path, imagining what his hands would feel like on her. She loved the way his arms felt around her, making her feel so safe and protected. Last night he'd lifted her to sit in his lap then ran his hand up her thigh to hold her along her waist. As her thoughts went back in time, she swore she could still feel him touching her, the warmth from his hands seeping through her clothes. She was grateful that he'd stopped them when he did. She knew she wasn't ready for sex, and fell in love with him all over again for always...

_Oh my God!_

Beth sat bolt upright. Was she in love with Daryl? She definitely liked him, way more than a crush, but love? No. No, it was way too soon to even think about love.

And yet, there it was.

She did care about him very much, and missed him the moment he'd leave her. He was the first person she wanted to talk to in the morning and the last person she thought of at night.

_Sounds a lot like love, buttercup._

She blushed, feeling kind of stupid for doing so since she was alone in her apartment. Her mind was still reeling when her phone chirped beside her.

**_I'd love to come over for dinner, but can't tonight._**

**_Raincheck?_**

**_ That's two dinners you owe me now._**

She sighed heavily when her message went unanswered again. _Stupid schedules_, she grumbled to herself. She couldn't blame him, though. She knew he worked incredibly hard at his job. It wasn't his fault that her student teaching wouldn't start until tomorrow.

_Geez! Tomorrow!_ A new wave of excitement rushed through her as the realization sunk in. Beth jumped off the couch and went through her closet, deciding which outfit to go with for her first day as a...sort of...teacher. She settled on khaki capris and a cute top with sandals to match. She wasn't sure just how much her cooperating teacher would have her do during the first day, but would rather be ready to step in if she needed to. Beth had butterflies the size of Montana fluttering around in her stomach as she thought about getting a start on her teaching career. Maybe she'd be able to calm them down with some dinner.

She made herself dinner, feeling slightly bummed that she was eating alone. _Come on now, Beth. You're a big girl. You can eat dinner all by yourself and not need to throw your own pity party._

After dinner she decided to throw in one of her favorite movies to calm herself down before bed. She was so keyed up about starting student teaching tomorrow, plus thoughts of Daryl and her recent self-discovery, there was no way she'd fall asleep any time soon, and she needed sleep before her big day tomorrow. The movie helped to calm her nerves, taking her mind of things for a while.

That is, she was calm until she walked into her bedroom and saw her outfit for tomorrow setting out and all the nervousness came flooding back. Beth tried breathing deeply to calm herself down and set to getting ready for bed. She was brushing her teeth when her phone chimed.

**_Yes ma'am._**

**_Why, Daryl. So formal._**

**_Yeah. That's me. _**

**_I didn't wake you, did I?_**

**_No. just getting ready for bed._**

**_Oh, okay. Good luck tomorrow._**

**_I know you'll do great._**

**_Thanks. I'm super nervous._**

**_Nah. You'll be fine. The kids'll love you._**

Beth's heart skipped a beat when she saw that four-letter word. _Calm down. He didn't say _he_ loves you. _

**_Well, I should probably get some sleep._**

**_Alright, buttercup._**

**_Sweet dreams._**

Beth thought for a moment. Could she wish him sweet dreams back? Was that too girly? With a grin she replied, **_Only if they're of you._**

_Ha! Take that, Dixon. _She imagined him blushing at her response. She settled into bed and turned out the bedside lamp.

Her phone chirped one last time. She blinked against the brightness of the screen.

**_Here's hoping. G'night, Beth. _**

**_:-* :-* :-*_**

Dammit. He won again. She sighed heavily, feeling her face flush as she tried to think of sleepy thoughts.

Beth's eyes snapped open at the sound of her alarm. She still felt tired, but was far too excited to start her day to even think about staying in bed. She'd set the alarm so she would have plenty of time to get ready and get to school nice and early to meet with her cooperating teacher and find out what was expected of her. She had been e-mailing back and forth with Mrs. Shelor since she got her student teaching assignments. Beth had explained that she was moving into her new apartment and wouldn't have an internet connection for a while. Mrs. Shelor seemed to be understanding about everything and even wished her luck with the new apartment. Beth pulled up to the elementary school and found a parking spot in the front, excited to finally put a face to the name of her cooperating teacher.

She reported to the school office first. Her mentor at college had advised all the students in her student teaching seminar to make friends with the school secretaries and janitors. She waited patiently at the counter, not wanting to disturb the secretary from what she was doing. Finally the other woman looked up, "Oh, hi hon! How can I help you?"

"Hi," Beth returned the woman's warm smile. "I'm Beth Greene. I'm student teaching with Mrs. Shelor."

The older woman's smile widened as she came over to the counter, "Oh, okay. Nice to meet you. I'm Kathy," she held her hand out. Beth shook it, instantly feeling welcome. Kathy didn't look or act like any of the secretaries from her school days. They were all very matronly and stern, as far as she could recall, anyway. Kathy had a sassy hair style and the fashion sense to match. Beth immediately liked her. "Let me go and get Mrs. Hughes, our principal."

Kathy briskly walked to the far side of the office and knocked on the door jamb. She ducked her head in and murmured something, then returned to her desk. "She'll be right with you."

A moment later, a stern looking woman came through the doorway, "Beth Greene," she greeted Beth and offered a firm hand shake. "It's good to have you at our school."

Beth smiled nervously, "Thank you, Mrs. Hughes."

"Please, call me LuAnne. You're a colleague now, not a student." Her smile was reassuring.

Beth relaxed a little. "I'm really excited to get started."

"I'm glad to hear that. Good luck today. Susie's a great teacher, you'll learn a lot from her," LuAnne replied.

_Oh, I like her,_ Beth thought to herself. LuAnne seemed very no nonsense but compassionate as well. Minute by minute, her nervousness began to fade.

As LuAnne returned to her office, Kathy came back to the counter, presenting Beth with a name tag and a folder with information about the school. "I'm not sure if Susie's here yet or not, but her door should be unlocked at least." She gave Beth directions to the music room and wished her luck once again.

Beth made her way down the halls and found the music room, relieved to find the lights already on and who she assumed to be Mrs. Shelor quickly moving around the front of the room, setting up for the day. She knocked on the door and walked in. The woman turned around and smiled, "Hi! I'm guessing you're Beth."

She smiled widely, "That's me! Nice to finally meet you in person." Beth walked to the front of the room and shook the woman's hand. She looked around the room and found it to be well organized with different centers for keyboards, computers, percussion – you name it this classroom had it. "I love your room!" Beth exclaimed.

"Thanks. It's taken lots of years and lots of grant writing to get to this point," she looked around her own room appreciatively. "Well, let's go over the plans for today."

They walked through the lesson plans, all carefully organized with materials set out. Susie explained that since the students had already been in class for a week, she wanted to introduce Beth slowly as their student teacher, so at first she just wanted her to observe until she caught the flow of the lesson plans. "I would rather have more hands on things for them to do rather than doing things out of the books, which are incredibly outdated anyway. We do a lot of songs and games that I've gotten from workshops over the years. You'll catch on to them quickly, but I won't make you stand up here with me until you're comfortable enough to lead them." Beth was grateful for that.

They started talking about goals for the quarter, setting up a basic timeline so that by the end of the nine weeks, Beth would be running all lesson plans for all classes. The thought seemed daunting at first, but Susie seemed to have confidence in her and reminded her that she'd be here for back up if Beth ever needed it. "That's getting a little ahead of ourselves. Your first big decision is do you want them to call you Miss Beth or Miss Greene?"

"Um…Miss Greene, I guess." At this age it didn't really matter to her, but once she got to secondary, she'd want that recognition of title, if anything so she could at least feel older than the high schoolers she'd be teaching, rather than just the four years older than she really was.

Before she knew it, morning announcements were coming through the loud speaker and soon after, their first class of the day came in. Beth watched in awe as Susie transitioned from one thing to another flawlessly. _Wow…I can really learn a lot from her._ The classes flew by and all too soon it was lunch time. Beth followed Susie to the teacher's lounge, where she met several more teachers. With trying to learn a few hundred student names, she wondered how she'd remember all the teachers' names, too. _Guess that's all part of being a teacher…instant name memorization_.

The day went on, one class after another. Even though Beth was just sitting and watching, she was captivated by the seamless lesson plans Susie had prepared and how well the students all responded to her. If she had to pick a favorite, it would be the kindergarteners, so cute and willing to learn, and so easily distracted, all of them wanting to tell their little stories. She decided that would be the grade level she'd want to take over first, and made a mental note to talk to Susie about it.

After the last of their classes had returned to their homeroom, Beth helped Susie clean up and set up for tomorrow. "We'll have all different classes tomorrow. Unfortunately, this will be a slow week for you, just observing, but don't worry," Susie said with a smile, "You'll be plenty busy in no time. What'd you think?"

"Um, you're amazing!"

Susie laughed out loud. "Well, thank you. I've had lots of practice. You'll get there, don't freak out just yet."

"Oh, I'm not freaking. Just…there's so much to take in that college classes didn't even mention."

Susie nodded her head, "I felt the same way. Anyway, how's the apartment?"

Beth grinned, "It's good! Got all moved in and then spent a small fortune getting things set up inside, but…yeah…it's nice. Kind of weird being alone, though."

"Glad to hear it. New places always take some getting used to. I remember my first apartment. I don't think I got a good night's sleep for a good month or so after I moved in."

Beth cringed at the thought of not sleeping well for that long. She hoped it wouldn't take her a whole month to get used to her new place. "Yikes! Do you need anything else to get ready for tomorrow?"

"No, I think we're good to go. If you want to come early again and we can keep talking about how to set up lesson plans. I know they tell you how to set them up in your classes, but, well, mine make sense," she finished with a smirk.

Beth giggled, "Okay. I'll be here. See you tomorrow!"

When Beth arrived back at her apartment, she found a large box sitting outside her door. Upon further inspection, she found there was no address label, just a handwritten note taped to the top, holding the top flaps together: "Open Me," in very masculine handwriting. Her gut instinct had her grinning; she was pretty sure she knew who had dropped it off without any kind of return address.

She opened the door and picked up the box carefully, bringing it inside and setting it on the kitchen table. She took off the note and the flaps popped open. Looking inside Beth found a beautiful yellow orchid plant in a terra cotta pot. She pulled it out of the box carefully and found another note taped to the lip of the pot.

_Thought maybe you'd want something to help brighten up your apartment, and it turns out buttercups don't do great inside. Didn't know what kind of planter you'd want. Guess I owe you one of those, too. The lady said to keep this inside, water it every couple days, don't drown it. _

_ Congratulations on your first day of teaching. _

_ Daryl_

Her heart was pitter-pattering rapidly in her chest and at the same time completely melting into a puddle. Beth found a spot on her kitchen counter where the orchid would get sunlight. The potting soil filling the flower pot was already pretty moist, so she decided to put off watering it until tomorrow. She returned to the large box, pulling out a smaller, white, house shaped box. Inside was an adorable dark brown teddy bear with a black leather jacket and a too cute pair of jeans with the bear's little tail sticking out of the back. Beth laughed out loud as she hugged it to her chest, feeling its soft, almost shaggy fur against her chin. She all but skipped to her bedroom and placed him against her pillows and came back to the boxes on the table. She found the bear's "birth certificate" in the smaller box, smiling as she read it. "Barry." She giggled as she thought of Daryl going through the little factory and picking everything out for her, holding the little plastic heart and making a wish. Oh, what she would have done to have seen him, Mr. Tough Guy, going through the store, surrounded by kids and their mommies. Her heart was absolutely floating with giddiness. She scrambled through her purse for her phone.

She called Daryl, whose number was now saved in her speed dial list, knowing full well he wouldn't answer, and that was alright with her. She got a tiny jolt of amusement as she heard his outgoing message: "Hey, it's Daryl. Lee-me-a message. Bye." It was short and to the point, and that growly southern drawl sent a thrill through her body. "Hi, Daryl, it's Beth. You are seriously the sweetest guy on the planet. Thank you so much for the flowers and the bear. I absolutely love them. I guess, um, call me when you have a minute to talk." She bit down on her tongue, stopping herself just in time from adding an "I love you" to the message, instead saying, "Umm…bye."

Beth took the certificate back to her bedroom and placed it on top of her dresser before flopping onto her bed, cuddling close with Barry. She caught a whiff of the faux leather jacket and was reminded of the day Daryl had driven her around hunting for apartments; the smell of his leather jacket with the wings embroidered on the back. She sighed, and realized she'd been doing that a lot lately.

Yeah…Beth felt herself falling, and falling hard, in love with Daryl Dixon.

The next thing she knew, Beth was sitting bolt upright, jolted awake by the sound of her phone ringing on the kitchen table. Bringing Barry with her, she darted through the apartment and answered just before voicemail picked up. "Hello?" she croaked out, trying her hardest not to sound out of breath.

"Hey there, buttercup."

Beth looked at the clock. 5:01. He had just gotten off work. "Hey there yourself," she smiled.

"Ya alright? Your voice sounds weird."

"I'm fine. I must have dozed off." Beth was silently pleased that he noticed a change in her voice.

"Oh. Alright. Worn out from your big day?"

"Something like that." Seriously, how could she be so tired after just sitting all day?

"So, sweetest guy on the planet, huh? Do I get some kind of award for that?"

"You mean the title alone isn't enough?" she teased.

"Didn't say that. Just asking."

"I think I can work something out. Thank you so much, Daryl. The flowers are beautiful and Barry…he's just so handsome."

"Ya like 'em? I wasn't sure you would."

"Of course I do!" Beth exclaimed incredulously. "What girl wouldn't like flowers and stuffed animals from her man?"

Daryl mumbled, "Oh, I can think of someone," under his breath, almost low enough that Beth didn't hear it. Before she could question it, Daryl continued, "How's the apartment?"

"Good. I got almost everything unpacked, just some stuff that needs to go on shelves. Speaking of, can I ask you a favor?"

He gave an exaggerated sigh, "What now?" he asked, his voice melodramatic.

Beth giggled, "Well, I've got the shelves, but I don't have a level to make sure I put them up right. I was hoping my big, burly, manly boyfriend would be able to help me out?"

Daryl chuckled, "Alright. I got a busy couple days, but I'll figure something out and get you set up."

"Thank you, Daryl," Beth used her most sickeningly sweet voice. She wondered if he could hear her batting her eyelashes through the phone.

"You're welcome. So how was school today?"

Beth relayed the highlights of her day, telling him how nice the other teachers were, how great a teacher Susie was, how sweet the kids were. "I can't wait to really get my feet wet. I think this first week might kill me just sitting and watching."

Daryl chuckled at her. "Ya little go-getter you. Sounds like you've got a good thing going there."

"Yeah. I'm really excited about it! You should see these kindergarteners. They just steal your heart, they're all so cute."

"I'm sure they do," he cleared his throat. "Hey, listen, I don't have anything going Friday night. Can I take you out for dinner, celebrate your first week of teaching?"

"I'm not really teaching yet, Daryl. Just observing."

"Well, maybe I just wanted to take my girl out." He sounded genuinely hurt.

The line was quiet for a minute, and Beth mentally kicked herself. He was trying to be sweet and actually ask her on a date and she had to be flippant about it? "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I would love to go to dinner with you, Daryl."

Another few seconds of silence ticked by before he spoke again. "Well, don't let me put you out or anything." The tone of his voice broke her heart.

"Oh, Daryl, I'm sorry. Please, forget I said anything. It was stupid. I didn't mean I didn't want to go, I just meant I don't think me sitting and watching someone else work all week is cause for celebration. Please, Daryl, don't be mad at me." Tears were starting to prick the backs of her eyes. She sniffled them back.

"Not sure I could stay mad at you even if I was," he murmured. "Friday it is. Where do you wanna go?"

Beth released the breath she'd been holding, partially to keep from crying and partially in anticipation of Daryl's response. Her voice came out shaky, "Wherever you want. I trust you."

"Alright, darlin'. Hey, I gotta get going home. I'll talk to you later?"

"Oh. Okay. I'm really sorry, Daryl."

"Don't worry about it, buttercup. I'll talk to you soon."

Beth's heart was nearly bursting, wanting to tell him that she loved him, but knew it was way too early to bring it up. Instead, she just said, "Talk to you soon. Bye, Daryl," and hung up.

**I'm trying, really trying to get back to my normal schedule with all these stories. With school picking up and everything, I just don't have the time to write like I did over the summer. I'll update when I can, and I'll always keep the rotation the same (Lady, Summer, Second Chance). I've got a couple little one-shots that have been bouncing around in my head (though I'm reluctant to put them up because for some reason all my one-shots turn into full-blown stories and I just can't start any others right now). **

**Thanks for all the followers and reviewers so far! I get a lot of reviews saying you love how sweet everything is and how romantic Daryl is. I feel I owe it to you to warn you, it's not going to be all happy times for these two, and some definite bumps in the road are on their way in the upcoming chapters. Stay tuned!**

**I love getting messages and reviews from you all - please keep them coming. Or if you want to talk about the show (oh my GOSH this season is amazing so far!) I'm always up for "talking shop." Follow me on tumblr and twitter - same screen name on all three. **


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